Ibrahim Mursal Warsame ( ar, إبراهيم مُرسال, born 1990 ) is a Norwegian film director of Sudanese and Somali origins. He is known for writing and directing

The Art of Sin ''The Art of Sin'' ( ar, فن الخطيئة) is a 2020 Sudanese documentary film written and directed by Ibrahim Mursal. The filming is a delicate portrait of the artist and LGBT activist Ahmed Umer, who campaigns for gay visibility and seeks ...

, a documentary about openly gay Sudanese artist Ahmed Umar.

Early life and education

Mursal was born in 1990 in Somalia but fled with his family during the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. In Sudan, he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Oil and Gas exploration from the

Sudan University of Science and Technology Sudan University of Science and Technology (abbreviated SUST) is one of the largest public universities in Sudan, with ten campuses in Khartoum state. The main campus is located in the so-called Al Mugran area of Khartoum, the confluence of th ...

(SUST) in 2012. He completed a Film and Photographic Arts workshop at

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and ...

e Sudan in 2012 which (re)kindled his interest in filmmaking. He was part of the 2014

TED TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

organising team 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. He continued to participate in organising more TEDx events, including TEDx SUST. After 12 years in Sudan, Mursal settled in Norway. As of November 2022, he is part of Groruddalen Think Tank and is the owner of the Warsame Movies.

Film career

After completing the Film and Photographic Arts course at Goethe Institute Sudan in 2012, Mursal filmed his first short movie, 50 piasters ( ar, 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 ''The Counterfeit Coin'' ( el, Ιστορία μιας κάλπικης λίρας, Istoria mias kalpikis liras, Story of a fake pound; also Η κάλπικη λίρα, ''I kalpiki lira'', "the fake pound") is a Greek comedy-drama film, produced ...

. The film was screened at the first

Sudan Independent Film Festival Sudan Independent Film Festival (SIFF) is an annual festival for Sudanese and international films in Khartoum. Since 2014, it has been organised between January 21–27 by the Sudan Film Factory. Since its beginning, it has served as a showcase fo ...

. 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. His films also examine the diaspora identity and how social movements, across national borders, affect the diaspora identity. Despite growing up in a religiously conservative community, Mursal's work ventures into progressive movements that challenge gender roles, culture, taboos, etc. His films 2017, ''The art of being a sinner, A conversation with my gay friend'' and 2022 ''

( ar, فن الخطيئة)'' were delicate portrait of the Sudanese-Norwegian artist and

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

activist Ahmed Umer, who campaigns for gay visibility in Sudan and seeks new form to express his new Norwegian identity while embracing being Sudanese.

Awards

won the 2020 Nordic Doc's best documentary film between 30 and 60 minutes. Mursal received the 2020 Norwegian Art Council film grant and was selected as Nordic Film Lab participants for 2021.

Filmography

* 2020:

( ar, فن الخطيئة), documentary. * 2017: The art of being a sinner, A conversation with my gay friend. a short documentary. * 2014: Filim ( ar, فيلم), short film. * 2012: 50 piasters ( ar, ٥٠ قرش), short film.

References

External links