Getting to the Olympics is always a Herculean challenge, but getting to the Olympics with no formal training while your country is in the midst of a civil war is something else entirely. The real-life story of Somali sprinter Samia Yusuf Omar (played by Ilham Mohamed Osman) makes for compelling and empathetic drama here. Despite many setbacks and personal tragedy, this young woman receives support from family and loved ones and eventually finds herself on the biggest stage in the world of sports, the Beijing Olympics 2008, at the age of just 17. Her success, however, draws unwanted attention from the powers that be…
Adapting the Italian best seller Don’t Tell Me You’re Afraid, director Yasemin Şamdereli tells Samia’s story through a delicate mixture of colour, darkness, joy, and adversity. The film recounts the inspirational story of a young girl whose example extends the rights of women around the world, offering moments of hope even amidst the brutality of war.
Community Partner
Ilham Mohamed Osman, Kaltuma Mohamed Abdi, Fathia Mohamed Absie
Italy/Germany/Belgium
2024
In Arabic, English and Somali with English subtitles
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Piergiuseppe “Beppe” Serra, Karim Cham, Michael Kölmel
Producer
Simone Catania, Dietmar Güntsche, Anja-Karina Richter, Michele Fornasero, Francesca Portalupi, Martin Rohé
Screenwriter
Yasemin Şamdereli, Nesrin Samdereli, Giuseppe Catozzella
Cinematography
Florian Berutti
Editor
Mechthild Barth
Production Design
Paola Bizzarri
Original Music
Rodrigo D’Erasmo
Yasemin Şamdereli
Yasemin Şamdereli is a German actress, screenwriter, and director best known for her film Almanya: Welcome to Germany (2011). Her latest film, Samia, was made with the collaboration of Deka Mohamed Osman and had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival.
Filmography: Almanya: Welcome to Germany (2011); Together Forever – Secrets of 50+ Years of Marriage (2018);
Photo by dekamohamedosman
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Modern Whore
In director Nicole Bazuin's cheeky, stylized documentary, Modern Whore-memoirist Andrea Werhun (Paying for It) recounts her experiences as an escort and stripper in Toronto, debunking misconceptions about the world’s oldest profession.
Castration Movie Anthology 1: Traps
Louise Weard's underground movie is a talk-a-thon in two chapters and four hours: a sex worker contemplates having her testicles removed, and a movie production assistant pitches himself right out of a job, and other misadventures in Vancouver life.
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.
Agatha's Almanac
Shot over six years on vibrant 16mm film, Agatha’s Almanac is an artful documentary portrait of filmmaker Amalie Atkin’s octogenarian aunt, who has fashioned herself an endearingly simple and self-sustaining lifestyle on her Manitoba farm.
