Saul Williams

Saul Williams came to public attention after the release of the internationally acclaimed film, Slam (directed by Marc Levin), which he co-wrote and starred in. The film introduced the world to the Slam Poetry movement, and won Sundance's Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera d'Or, in 1998.

As an actor, Saul was a series regular as “Sivad” on the CW's Girlfriends and has appeared in a handful of films, including K-Pax, Lackawanna Blues, and New York, I Love You. Most recently Saul appeared in the French-Senegalese film, Aujourd'hui (Tey) (directed by Alain Gomis), which won 2013's L'Etalon D'Or at FESPACO, where Saul was the first African-American to win the Best Actor prize in the largest and oldest African film festival. TEY was also awarded the Prize of the City at the Venice Film Festival. In 2014, Saul made his Broadway debut as the lead in Broadway's first hip-hop musical, Holler If Ya Hear Me, based on the lyrics and poetry of Tupac Shakur. He starred in the 2021 film, Akilla’s Escape, for which his performance earned him a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Actor. His directorial debut, Neptune Frost, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 and will see a theatrical release in June 2022.

Saul has performed in more than 30 countries and has read his poetry at more than 300 universities, with invitations from the White House, the Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center, the Louvre, the Getty Center, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, to villages, townships, community centers, and prisons across the world. Saul has published five books of poetry which have been translated into several languages. Saul’s writings and lesson plans surrounding his work have been added to the curriculum of schools and universities around the world.

As a musician, Saul has released six albums and has toured or collaborated with dozens of artists, including: Kanye West; Nas; Janelle Monae; Nine Inch Nails; Rage Against The Machine; The Roots; Mos Def; The Mars Volta; David Cross; Allen Ginsburg; Amiri Baraka; Gil Scott-Heron; Jose James; Arthur H, Camille; Ayo; TV On The Radio; System Of A Down; KRS ONE; DJ Krust; DJ Spooky; Cold Cut; Matisyahu; Blackalicious; K'naan; K-OS; and Erykah Badu.