The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Writer

acadet@tribunemedia.net

SINGER turned actor Malikah Pinder has been a performer for as long as she can remember.

First came singing, which has always been a huge outlet for her, which turned into a love for acting – and now she has become an award winner too.

Malikah’s first memory of acting was in the 6th grade. She spoke to Tribune Woman about her move to Los Angeles, as she continues to follow her dreams.

One such dream recently came true, with Malikah winning a best supporting actress award for the film “He Knocks”.

“He Knocks” is a short thriller, written by Mont Lee, directed by Ronald Evans, and starring Sean Alan Mazur, Malikah Pinder, and Zach Allsbrook.

It follows 23-year-old Joel as he enters his 24th year. With a looming generational curse, Joel must survive his birthday, playing by the rules to inherit immortality.

Malikah said: “The set was amazing; I called it the epitome of black excellence to have worked so professionally alongside other creatives of colour. The talent of the team was undeniable, and I would love to work with those guys again. I am also proud to say that the film won ‘Best Fantasy’ from the Hollywood Blood Horror Film Festival.

“Every day I am learning to encourage myself to never give up. I’ve come far, but there is so much farther to go. I am learning to celebrate my strides and accomplishments thus far.”

Hearing the news of an award for her role in the film gave off the best feeling in the world for Malikah.

“To know that you’ve won something because people liked your work, I felt proud of myself and the team that I worked with. Along with the award-winning film, ‘He Knocks’, I also played a supporting actress in the short film, BET (submitted in the 48-Hour Film Festival), Ten Whys, a student film by Juma Emedi, and a lot of background and body double roles in films by Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, ABC/Hulu, and Netflix,” said Malikah.

Malikah said it was a series of events that pushed her to be brave enough to make the move to Los Angeles.

“When I graduated from The College of The Bahamas there was a delay with me getting my diploma, which forced me to go back to Eleuthera to wait for it to be processed. That took longer than expected and I ended up getting an office job. Well, being the creative person that I am, that office job pushed me to make things happen for myself. That’s when Spring Arts was birthed. Through Spring Arts, I hosted a ton of performing arts events on the island of Eleuthera that no one else was doing,” said Malikah.

Through Spring Arts, Malikah played various characters for birthday parties, did singing telegrams all over the island, hosted performing arts camps in the summers for young performers, which grew over the years. She also did vocal coaching and hosted vocal recitals, game shows, plays, and continued singing at events both in Nassau and Eleuthera.

She said: “I received my diploma but decided to focus on Spring Arts for a while. However, after a while I wanted to try teaching (which is what I gained a degree for). After two years of teaching, I realised my true passion was in the arts. My favourite part of teaching was creating short films with my students. That’s how I knew I wanted to tell stories through the arts, and though I loved my students, teaching in a classroom would never be quite enough for me.”

When asked what has been the best piece of advice she has received with regard to her acting career, Malikah said it is to simply keep going.

“I often look to influencers like Steve Harvey, Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, and Lisa Nichols for inspiration. They all had a rock bottom start to their presently very successful careers. I can’t focus on what I lost, what I failed at, or all the times I have been rejected. I just have to keep going, onward to more wins. Everything works out in the end if you just keep going and never lose hope,” she said.

“Though I am starting out in film here in Los Angeles, I ultimately want to end up on the Broadway stage. I want to be a Broadway sensation, who tells meaningful stories that move people to change.”

She encouraged readers to stay tuned and follow her on social media at singeractressmalikahpinder on her creative journey.