Years active 1997–present Name Tamarat Makonnen | Role Music Video Director | |
Born March 16, 1972 (age 53) ( 1972-03-16 ) Occupation Director, producer, screenwriter Movies Dreams and Shadows, In Search of the Black Knight Similar People Shawn‑Caulin Young, James Russo, Rick Irvin, Cinderella Graham, Yoshi Ando | ||
Tamarat Makonnen - Writer & Director of "In Search of the Black Knight" on IT'S TIME TO TALK
Tamarat Makonnen (born March 16, 1972, San Francisco, California) is an American film director, producer and writer. A graduate of Virginia Union University, with a degree in English Language Arts. The native New Yorker received his big break directing the music video "The Beginning of the End" for EMI recording artists Boogiemonsters. This led to Makonnen creating music videos and EPKs for an array of artists including: Ne-Yo, Luther Campbell, Lil' Kim, C-Bo, and most notably dead prez for whom he worked with several times and directed the critically acclaimed music video, "Mind Sex". Makonnen's work as been praised in publications such as the heralded hip hop magazine XXL.
In 2009 Makonnen directed the American drama film Dreams and Shadows starring James Russo and Shawn-Caulin Young.
In 2013 Makonnen directed the award-winning documentary In Search of the Black Knight. The film takes a comedic look into the complexities of African-American relationships.
Most recently, Makonnen has produced and directed for several web series including: The New Shade of Black and The Unwritten Rules, which is based on creator Kim Williams's book 40 Hours and an Unwritten Rule: The Diary of an African-American Woman.
Makonnen resides in Los Angeles, California.