BlackFilm
Thursday August 6, 2020
By Koku Tona
A GIRL FROM MOGADISHU is a True Story Based on the Testimony of Ifrah Ahmed
Aja Naomi King and Ifrah Ahmed spoke with blackfilm.com correspondent Koku Tona about their film A Girl From Mogadishu.
The film chronicles the journey of Ahmed as she fled a war-tore Somalia to later become an International Activist leading the charge to end the practice of Female Genital Mutilation.
A GIRL FROM MOGADISHU is a true story based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed, an Irish-Somali activist. In this female empowerment film, Ahmed (Aja Naomi King) escapes war-torn Somalia as a teenager. With the help of a human trafficker (Barkhad Abdi), she finds refuge in Ireland where she vows to devote her life to stopping the practice of female genital mutilation. With allies that include her friend Amala (Martha Canga Antonio), and Irish politicians Emer and Joe Costello (Orla Brady and Stanley Townsend), Ahmed embarks on a quest to bring her campaign to a global stage.
The motion picture stars Aja Naomi King (The Birth of a Nation, How to Get Away with Murder) as Ifrah Ahmed. Martha Canga Antonio (Black) and Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips, Blade Runner 2049) also star with Somali icon Maryam Mursals. Irish cast include Pauline McLynn (Father Ted, Angela’s Ashes), Orla Brady (Fringe, Into the Badlands), and Stanley Townsend (The Libertine, Happy-Go-Lucky).
Key crew include director of photography Michael Lavelle (Cardboard Gangsters), production designer Emma Pucci (RED 2), costume designer Nathalie Leborgne (Mr. Nobody). Music is composed by Nitin Sawhney (Breathe, Mowgli).
A GIRL FROM MOGADISHU is a Pembridge (Ireland) and Umedia (Belgium) production, with production services provided by Dune Film Productions in Morocco. Post-production took place at Windmill Studios, Dublin, and Umedia VFX, Brussels.