Cinefondation Atelier: Abdi Ismael Jama – “Queleh”

Spotlight on the Cinéfondation Atelier, which is presenting 15 projects seeking completion money for their already partially funded films: introducing Abdi Ismael Jama from Somaliland with the film project Queleh…

“This is my first time in Cannes; I came with my producer, Guillaume de Seille at Arizona Films, the one who applied to the Cinéfondation Atelier. I met him in 2002 at the Rotterdam Film Festival. I did the Film Academy in Amsterdam and my graduation short movie was showing there. I met him through the cameraman of Abouna, Abraham Haile Biru, who was also at my school. So we are 6 years busy with this project.”

Abdi elaborated on how he got involved in cinema considering that there is no film industry in his country, and that 80% of the Somalia population is analphabetic, “I wanted to be an actor before this, and I did a lot of auditions, but they didn’t take me, and then one day I met this Liberian guy and he was at the Film Academy. So I made a movie and there you go. My father, my grandmother, they liked to tell stories; Somalis love a story around the fire and so when I came to Holland, I wanted to tell the stories of where we come from. Even the Dutch government didn’t know that there was war in Somalia. I want to talk about our country before the war, what kind of life they had, their culture…”

Indeed his film to be shot in Somaliland is a story about farmers; the title bears the name of the elder boy who will have to confront the responsibilities of the family after the military regime arrests the father. It is a personal story but also about refugees. For Abdi, cinema does have the power to inform, “When I came to Holland, I discovered, for example, what happened in the 40s to the Israelis. I didn’t know that, but because of Schindler’s List, The Pianist, I understood what happened. So a film can give you information about what happens. I want to tell the people what happens and that’s what movies can do.”