A Girl from Mogadishu
| A Girl from Mogadishu | |
|---|---|
 Production Still Copyright Seamus Murphy for Pembridge Film Productions Limited All Rights Reserved | |
| Directed by | Mary McGuckian |
| Screenplay by | Mary McGuckian |
| Produced by | Mary McGuckian Adrian Politowski |
| Starring | Aja Naomi King Barkhad Abdi |
| Cinematography | Michael Lavelle |
| Edited by | Sarah Kian, Sylvie Landra, Mairead McIvor, Gareth Nolan, Janet Twomey |
| Music by | Nitin Sawhney |
Release date |
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| Country | Irish Belgium |
| Language | English |
A Girl from Mogadishu is an Irish-Belgium film. It is a somewhat fictionalized story based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed, who having escaped war-torn Somalia, emerged as one of the world’s foremost international activists against gender-based violence. Filming in Belgium commenced October 18th, 2017 and was completed in Ireland and Morocco. The film stars Aja Naomi King as Ifrah, Martha Canga Antonio, Barkhad Abdi, and Maryam Mursals.
Plot
Born into a refugee camp in war-torn Somalia, Ifrah is trafficked to Ireland as a teenager. Recounting her traumatic childhood experiences of female genital mutilation when applying for refugee status, she is re-traumatised and vows to devote her life to the eradication of the practice. Taking her campaign all the way to the President of Ireland and finally to the European Parliament and United Nations. A Girl from Mogadishu celebrates the power of testimony, for when women find the courage to stand-up, speak out, and tell their truth, the impact can be so inspiring and empowering that act as a meaningful catalyst for change.
Production
The film is a Pembridge (Ireland) and Umedia (Belgium) production, with production services provided by Dune Film Productions in Morocco. Post-production took place at Windmill Pictures, Dublin and UMedia VFX, Brussels.
Principal photography began in Belgium in October 2017.[2][3] The film was also shot in Dublin and Morocco in 2018.[4]
Cast
- Aja Naomi King as Ifrah Ahmed
- Martha Canga Antonio as Amala
- Barkhad Abdi as Hassan
- Luke Spencer Roberts as NGO Rep
- Maryam Mursal as Grandmother
- Ken Ndiaye as Father
- Maggie O'Kane as Catherine Riley
- Niall Buggy as Michael D. Higgins
- Stanley Townsend as Joe Costello
References
- ^ https://scannain.com/irish/festival/vmdiff-a-girl-from-mogadishu/
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (25 October 2017). "'A Girl From Mogadishu': Aja Naomi King Leads Female Empowerment Story – AFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ McNary, Dave (25 October 2017). "'How to Get Away With Murder's' Aja Naomi King to Star in 'A Girl From Mogadishu'". Variety. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ Shortall, Eithne (5 November 2017). "Irish FGM activist ready for biopic". The Times. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
