Somalia’s First National Pavilion to Present Contemporary Somali Cinema in Venice

The Somalia National Pavilion will present a programme of contemporary Somali cinema at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia at Palazzo Caboto from 11–13 September 2026.

Launched in May 2026 as Somalia’s first-ever national pavilion and the country’s first national participation at La Biennale di Venezia, the pavilion has so far showcased Somali poetry, audiovisual installation and textile art through its inaugural exhibition SADDEXLEEY.

Presented as part of SADDEXLEEY’s public programme, the screenings bring together fiction, documentary and experimental films by Somali filmmakers in Somalia and the diaspora. Curated by archivist and curator Idel Rasheed, all works were selected through an open call and are presented in collaboration with Waaberi Phone, a digital platform and archive dedicated to preserving Somali arts and culture.

According to the organisers, the programme explores childhood, memory, grief, faith, family and inherited traditions, bringing together what they describe as “distinct voices, generations and perspectives rather than offering a single account of Somali experience”.

“The films move across different geographies, generations and ways of seeing. Together, they create space for the breadth and complexity of contemporary Somali storytelling,” said Rasheed.

The programme includes the international premiere of Hussein Boon’s feature film Flames of Tradition. Filmed in Borama with an entirely Somali cast and crew, the drama follows two young people navigating love amid inherited tensions and social conflict.

Also screening is Warya, a short film by Somali-Australian filmmaker Miski Omar. Shot in Somalia, the mockumentary follows a young boy in Garlogoobe whose search for a missing bottle of Fanta unfolds into a story about friendship, imagination and Somali childhood.

Other films in the programme include Isn’t This What I’m Supposed to Feel by Abdimalik Ahmed; Growing Pains II by Wasima Farah and Bakar Elmi; A Journey Back to Allah by Qasim A. Ali and Feisal Mohamed; I’ll Wait for You by the Sea by Rasia Yusuf; Somalia-Kenya co-production Gacal by Mohamed Ali; and Surffice (Deeqa), the debut film by Somali musician Aar Maanta.

The screenings coincide with the closing days of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival but are independently presented as part of the Somalia National Pavilion’s public programme and are not part of the film festival’s official selection.

EVENT DETAILS

Somalia National Pavilion Film Programme
11–13 September 2026
Palazzo Caboto
Via Giuseppe Garibaldi 1645, Castello, Venice

Saturday, 12 September – from 17:00

MUNA – Warda Mohamed – 19 min
Growing Pains II – Wasima Farah & Bakar Elmi – 7 min
Isn’t This What I’m Supposed to Feel – Abdimalik Ahmed – 7 min
Flames of Tradition – Hussein Boon – 73 min
Live Q&A with Hussein Boon

Sunday, 13 September – from 17:00

Warya – Miski Omar – 13 min
A Journey Back to Allah – Qasim A. Ali – 4 min
I’ll Wait for You by the Sea – Rasia Yusuf – 6 min
Surffice (Deeqa) – Aar Maanta – 7 min
Gacal – Mohammad Ali – 60 min

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