A Tribe Called Love

Set in a Somali neighbourhood in Toronto, Mohamed Ahmed’s film follows teenagers Farah and Halima as they fall in love despite warnings to stay apart because they’re from different tribes. When Farah’s family relocates to Vancouver, the relationship ends abruptly — until they reconnect in their twenties in Toronto. But the same cultural barriers that once divided them soon resurface. Will their love be strong enough to rewrite their fate, or are some histories destined to repeat themselves? This modern-day Romeo and Juliet cautionary tale explores whether cultural barriers can truly be overcome.

Curators’ note:

“Ethnic tensions only seem to intensify within a close-knit Toronto Somali community. Despite being far from the land and borders that cause division, the socially enforced otherness of different ethnic groups threatens the relationship between Farah (Dalmar Abuzeid) and Halima (Feaven Abera), whose lives are forever shaped and changed by these conflicts. Throughout the film, love and community emerge continuously as challenges worth undertaking.”