Khadar Ayderus Ahmed
Khadar Ayderus Ahmed | |
|---|---|
| Born | Khadar Ayderus Ahmed 10 January 1981 Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Nationality | Somali Finnish |
| Occupation(s) | Director, Writer, Assistant director |
| Years active | 2008–present |
Khadar Ayderus Ahmed (born 10 January 1981), is a Finnish-Somali director and writer.[1] He is best known for directing the feature film The Gravedigger's Wife.[2][3]
Personal life
[edit]Ahmed was born on 10 January 1981 in Mogadishu, Somalia. At the age of 16, he moved to Finland as a refugee with his family.[2][4][5]
Career
[edit]In 2008, he wrote the script of the short film Citizens where he also worked as the second assistant director.[citation needed] Then in 2014, he directed the first short Me ei vietetä joulua which received critics acclaim. He later directed two more short films Yövaras (2017) and The Killing of Cahceravga (2018).[6]
In 2021, Ahmed directed his maiden film Guled & Nasra, which is internationally known as The Gravedigger's Wife. The film premiered in July 2021 in the Critics' Week section at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Critics' Week Grand Prize and Caméra d'Or. The film received critics acclaim and screened in many film festivals.[7] The film was also nominated for the Grand-Prix Award under the International Competition at the Kyiv International Short Film Festival. Then in the same year, he was again nominated for the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.[8] The film became the first Somali submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.[9][10]
Favourite films
[edit]In 2022, Ahmed participated in the Sight & Sound film polls of that year. It is held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, by asking contemporary directors to select ten films of their choice.[11]
Ahmed selections were:
- Yojimbo (1961)
- Central do Brasil (1998)
- In the Mood for Love (2000)
- Timbuktu (2014)
- Moonlight (2016)
- Fire (1996)
- A Screaming Man (2010)
- Do the Right Thing (1989)
- The City of God (2002)
- Aujourd'hui (2012)
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Genre | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Citizens | Second assistant director, Writer | Short film | |
| 2014 | Me ei vietetä joulua | Director, writer | Short film | |
| 2017 | Unexpected Journey | Screenwriter, Story | Film | |
| 2017 | Yövaras | Director, writer | Short film | |
| 2019 | The Killing of Cahceravga | Director, writer | Short film | |
| 2021 | The Gravedigger's Wife | Director, writer | Film |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Africa Movie Academy Awards | Best Director | The Gravedigger's Wife | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Film in An African Language | Won | ||||
| Best First Feature Film by a Director | Nominated |
References
[edit]- ^ "SPLA: Khadar Ayderus Ahmed". Spla. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Interview with director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed : La Semaine de la Critique of Festival de Cannes". Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "'We are a nation of stories and poems': Khadar Ayderus Ahmed on The Gravedigger's Wife". Seventh Row. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "Cannesissa kilpailee kaksi suomalaista teosta – tänään nähty Guled & Nasra pääsi sarjaan, johon suomalaista pitkää elokuvaa ei ole ennen valittu". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 7 July 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "Elokuvat: Suomalaisen Khadar Ahmedin ohjaama Guled & Nasra pääsi Cannesin elokuvajuhlille – Ensimmäinen pitkä suomalaiselokuva, joka esitetään festivaalin arvostetussa kriitikkosarjassa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ Bałaga, Marta (15 September 2021). "'Finnish Cinema Is So White,' Says 'The Gravedigger's Wife' Helmer Khadar Ayderus Ahmed". Variety. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ Nesselson2021-07-07T10:52:00+01:00, Lisa. "'The Gravedigger's Wife': Cannes Review". Screen. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Khadar Ahmed accolades". IMDb. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "Die Totengräber von Dschibuti". MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (in German). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ Yossman, Patrick Frater,Leo Barraclough,K J.; Frater, Patrick; Barraclough, Leo; Yossman, K. J. (6 October 2021). "Oscars Race: Taiwan Selects 'The Falls' for International Feature Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Khadar Ayderus Ahmed | BFI".
- ^ Banjo, Noah (29 October 2021). "FULL LIST: Ayinla, Omo Ghetto: The Saga bag multiple nominations at AMAA 2021". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 30 October 2021.