Abdulkadir Ahmed Said
Encyclopedia
Abdulkadir Ahmed Said is a prominent Somali
film director
, producer
, screenwriter
, cinematographer
and editor.
, the capital of Somalia
. In 1970, he began working for the Somali Film Agency
as a photographer assigned to international relations and as a consultant for productions with other countries. Between 1984 and 1986, he served as Director of Programming on Somali television, and wrote and directed several training programs. Said also worked as assistant director
on numerous film productions, including A Somali Dervish (1983); The Parching Winds of Somalia
(1984); Riviera Somalia (1984), a program for the Italian public service broadcaster Radio Televisione Italiana
(RAI); and A Man of Race (1987), produced by the LuceSaimon Film Institute.
While he has worked on many films in the past, Said is probably best known for his short films Geedka nolosha
, which won the Prize of the City of Torino in the Best Film - International Short Film Competition category at the Torino International Festival of Young Cinema
in 1988, and La Conchiglia
from 1992. In these two standout films, he artistically casts humans as the primary agents responsible for the destruction and depletion of the environment and its resources.
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
and editor.
Biography
Said was born in 1953 in MogadishuMogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, the capital of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. In 1970, he began working for the Somali Film Agency
Somali Film Agency
The Somali Film Agency was a film regulatory body based in Mogadishu, Somalia.-History:Following a bloodless military coup d'état in 1969, the production, distribution and importation of films in the country were nationalized by the new-established Supreme Revolutionary Council...
as a photographer assigned to international relations and as a consultant for productions with other countries. Between 1984 and 1986, he served as Director of Programming on Somali television, and wrote and directed several training programs. Said also worked as assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
on numerous film productions, including A Somali Dervish (1983); The Parching Winds of Somalia
The Parching Winds of Somalia
The Parching Winds of Somalia is a documentary film produced by Charles Geshekter.-Subject matter:The film provides a close look at how the nomadic inhabitants of Somalia have withstood the ravages of a harsh desert environment and the encroachment of European imperial forces by synthesizing...
(1984); Riviera Somalia (1984), a program for the Italian public service broadcaster Radio Televisione Italiana
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
(RAI); and A Man of Race (1987), produced by the LuceSaimon Film Institute.
While he has worked on many films in the past, Said is probably best known for his short films Geedka nolosha
Geedka nolosha
Geedka nolosha , or The Tree of Life, is a short film from Somali writer and director Abdulkadir Ahmed Said. In 1988, it won the Prize of the City of Torino in the Best Film - International Short Film Competition category at the Torino International Festival of Young Cinema.-Plot:In a small town, a...
, which won the Prize of the City of Torino in the Best Film - International Short Film Competition category at the Torino International Festival of Young Cinema
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
in 1988, and La Conchiglia
La Conchiglia
La Conchiglia , or The Conch, is a short film from Somali writer and director Abdulkadir Ahmed Said.-Plot:A female artist is painting a seascape on a deserted beach when she discovers a beautiful conch. Curious, she puts her ear to it and listens to the echoes and sounds of the ocean waves...
from 1992. In these two standout films, he artistically casts humans as the primary agents responsible for the destruction and depletion of the environment and its resources.