Ibrahim Mursal Warsame (Arabic: إبراهيم مُرسال, born 1990 ) is a Norwegian film director of Sudanese and Somali origins.[1] He is known for writing and directing The Art of Sin, a documentary about openly gay Sudanese artist Ahmed Umar.

Ibrahim Mursal
إبراهيم مُرسال
Born1990 (age 33–34)
CitizenshipNorway
Sudan
Somalia
EducationSudan University of Science and Technology
Years active2012-
Known forThe Art of Sin
Awards2020 Nordic Doc's best documentary film between 30 and 60 minutes
Honours2021 Nordic Film Lab

Early life and education

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Mursal was born in 1990[2][3] in Somalia but fled with his family during the civil war.[4] In Sudan, he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Oil and Gas exploration from the Sudan University of Science and Technology (SUST) in 2012.[5] He completed a Film and Photographic Arts workshop at Goethe-Institute Sudan in 2012 which (re)kindled his interest in filmmaking.[6]

He was part of the 2014 TEDxKhartoum organising team [7][8] which was shut down on 11 May 2013 by the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) without an explanation or warning after the NISS previously approved it.[9] He continued to participate in organising more TEDx events, including TEDxSUST.[10]

After 12 years in Sudan, Mursal settled in Norway.[6] As of November 2022, he is part of Groruddalen Think Tank [11] and is the owner of the Warsame Movies.[2][12]

Film career

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After completing the Film and Photographic Arts course at Goethe Institute Sudan in 2012, Mursal filmed his first short movie, 50 piasters (Arabic: ٥٠ قرش). The film is an anthropology film that looks into a day in the life of a 50 piasters, moving to different hands, touching different lives, similar to the 1955 Greek movie The Counterfeit Coin.[13] The film was screened at the first Sudan Independent Film Festival.[14][15]

Stories that address the idea of ‘the otherness’ and the essence of identity became a common theme in Mursal's films as he uses his diverse background, growing up in three different cultures, and his quest for an identity, being accustomed to feeling out of place.[16][17] His films also examine the diaspora identity and how social movements, across national borders, affect the diaspora identity.[18][19]

Despite growing up in a religiously conservative community, Mursal's work ventures into progressive movements that challenge gender roles,[20] culture,[21] taboos,[22] etc. His films 2017, The art of being a sinner, A conversation with my gay friend and 2022 The Art of Sin (Arabic: فن الخطيئة) were delicate portrait of the Sudanese-Norwegian artist and LGBT activist Ahmed Umer, who campaigns for gay visibility in Sudan and seeks new form to express his new Norwegian identity while embracing being Sudanese.[23][22][24][25]

Awards

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The Art of Sin won the 2020 Nordic Doc's best documentary film between 30 and 60 minutes.[26] Mursal received the 2020 Norwegian Art Council film grant [18] and was selected as Nordic Film Lab participants for 2021.[27]

Filmography

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  • 2017: The art of being a sinner, A conversation with my gay friend. a short documentary.[29]
  • 2014: Filim (Arabic: فيلم), short film.[18]
  • 2012: 50 piasters (Arabic: ٥٠ قرش), short film.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Film". Norwegian Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  2. ^ a b "Warsame Films - 180.no". 100002296375798 (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  3. ^ "Informasjon om Ibrahim Mursal Warsame - Regnskapstall". www.regnskapstall.no. Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  4. ^ "Fear of Missing Out – Sørnorsk filmsenter". sornorskfilm.no. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  5. ^ "Stories from the Past - Inspiring the Future: Acts of Courage in Somali History and Today – Peace Research Institute Oslo". www.prio.org. Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  6. ^ a b Unknown. "إبراهيم مرسال ... شاب يرتديه الشغف". Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  7. ^ TEDxYouth@Khartoum 2012 promo video, archived from the original on 2022-11-02, retrieved 2022-11-02
  8. ^ TEDxYouth@Khartoum 2012 Shout-out to TEDxYouth@Sandiego, archived from the original on 2022-11-03, retrieved 2022-11-03
  9. ^ Ideas worth protecting | Ibrahim Mursal | TEDxArendal, archived from the original on 2022-11-02, retrieved 2022-11-02
  10. ^ "Ibrahim Mursal". TEDxSUST- Sudan University Of Science and Technology TEDx Event. 2019-09-26. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  11. ^ "Groruddalen Think Tank - Oslo - 96040703". www.bdb.no. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  12. ^ "Warsame Films". www.1881.no (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  13. ^ Unknown. "إبراهيم مرسال ... شاب يرتديه الشغف". Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  14. ^ Kushkush, Ismail. "Sudan's silver screens". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  15. ^ "Sudan cinema takes inspiration from revolution". France 24. 2021-01-23. Archived from the original on 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  16. ^ "Ny bok om minoriteter og seksualitet: – Fortsatt vanskelig å snakke åpent og ordentlig om dette". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  17. ^ Frankly Speaking with Ibrahim Mursal, archived from the original on 2022-11-03, retrieved 2022-11-03
  18. ^ a b c "Ibrahim Mursal". inspire.gallery. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  19. ^ Ahmed Umar, Ibrahim Mursal and Fadlabi: The Art Of Sin, archived from the original on 2022-11-06, retrieved 2022-11-03
  20. ^ "Typisk mann?: Ibrahim Mursal". Psykologiforbundet (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2021-05-18. Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  21. ^ "INSPIRE Seminar Series: Identity, Alienation and Exclusion – a Conversation with Ibrahim Mursal – Peace Research Institute Oslo". www.prio.org. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  22. ^ a b THE ART OF SIN | Film Talk with Ibrahim Mursal | 2021 @home, archived from the original on 2022-11-03, retrieved 2022-11-03
  23. ^ "The Art of Sin | Human Rights Watch Film Festival". ff.hrw.org. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  24. ^ Abdessamad, Farah (2021-12-08). "Ibrahim Mursal's The Art of Sin". The Brooklyn Rail. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  25. ^ "Repression in Sudan creates an LGBTQ+ underground". Rights Africa – Equal Rights, One Voice!. 2021-01-07. Archived from the original on 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  26. ^ Redaksjonen (2020-11-23). "Prisvinnerne fra Nordic Docs". Rushprint (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  27. ^ "Nordic Film Lab". Göteborg Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  28. ^ Abdessamad, Farah (2021-12-08). "Ibrahim Mursal's The Art of Sin". The Brooklyn Rail. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  29. ^ "The Art of Being a Sinner". Soura Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  30. ^ "Ibrahim MURSAL". Göteborg Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
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