Somaliwood
Encyclopedia
Somaliwood is an informal name for the Somali-language film industry
that has developed in the diaspora
community of Columbus, Ohio
, centered around the Olol Films production company. Following the model of Bollywood
, the name is a portmanteau of the words Somali and Hollywood, the center of the American film industry.
As a result of the diaspora
following the country’s civil war
, Columbus has become home to an estimated 45,000 Somalis. The city is also home to a Somali newspaper and radio show
Movies to come out of Somaliwood include the thriller Xaaskayga Araweelo, Rajo, the first feature-length Somali-language
movie, and Warmooge, the first Somali animated film. Important figures in Columbus Somali filmmaking include director Abdisalam Aato, and local Somali actress Fathiya Saleban.
Cinema of Somalia
The cinema of Somalia refers to the film industry in Somalia. The earliest forms of public film display in the country were Italian newsreels of key events during the colonial period. Growing out of the Somali people's rich storytelling tradition, the first few feature-length Somali films and...
that has developed in the diaspora
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
community of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, centered around the Olol Films production company. Following the model of Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
, the name is a portmanteau of the words Somali and Hollywood, the center of the American film industry.
As a result of the diaspora
Somali diaspora
The Somali diaspora refers to expatriate Somalis who reside in areas of the world that have traditionally not been inhabited by their ethnic group...
following the country’s civil war
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
, Columbus has become home to an estimated 45,000 Somalis. The city is also home to a Somali newspaper and radio show
Movies to come out of Somaliwood include the thriller Xaaskayga Araweelo, Rajo, the first feature-length Somali-language
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
movie, and Warmooge, the first Somali animated film. Important figures in Columbus Somali filmmaking include director Abdisalam Aato, and local Somali actress Fathiya Saleban.
See also
- Cinema of SomaliaCinema of SomaliaThe cinema of Somalia refers to the film industry in Somalia. The earliest forms of public film display in the country were Italian newsreels of key events during the colonial period. Growing out of the Somali people's rich storytelling tradition, the first few feature-length Somali films and...
- List of Somalian films
- Somali Film AgencySomali Film AgencyThe 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...
- Hollywood-inspired namesHollywood-inspired namesHollywood is such an iconic name that various other locations associated with the film industry are nicknamed with Hollywood-inspired names. Most starting with the first letter of the location and ending in the letters "-ollywood" or "-wood".-South Asia:...