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Samia film image; woman holding up one arm

Samia

Panorama

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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

 

 

Director
Cast

Ilham Mohamed Osman, Kaltuma Mohamed Abdi, Fathia Mohamed Absie

Credits
Country of Origin

Italy/Germany/Belgium

Year

2024

Language

In Arabic, English and Somali with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
18+

At International Village

19+

At Fifth Avenue

102 min
Award Winners Black Cinema Drama Human Rights & Social Justice Women Directors
Indyca, Rai Cinema, Neue Bioskop, Tarantula, Bim Produzione, Momento Film

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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 headshot; Samia director

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

 

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