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Somaliwood is an informal name for the Somali film industry that has developed in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, where a large
Somali diaspora The Somali diaspora or Qurbajoogta refers to Somalis who were born in Greater Somalia and reside in areas of the world that they were not born in. The civil war in Somalia greatly increased the size of the Somali diaspora, as many Somalis moved fr ...
exists. Following the model of
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
, the name is a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsHollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
", the center of the American film industry.


Overview

The earliest forms of public film display in
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: ๐’ˆ๐’๐’‘๐’›๐’๐’˜๐’•๐’–; ar, ุงู„ุตูˆู…ุงู„, aแนฃ-แนขลซmฤl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
were Italian
newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, informa ...
s of key events during the colonial period in
Italian Somaliland Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, ุงู„ุตูˆู…ุงู„ ุงู„ุฅูŠุทุงู„ูŠ, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centur ...
. Growing out of the
Somali people The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida ๐’ˆ๐’๐’‘๐’›๐’๐’˜๐’†๐’–, ar, ุตูˆู…ุงู„ูŠูˆู†) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...
's rich storytelling tradition, the first few feature-length Somali films and cinematic festivals emerged in the early 1960s, immediately after independence.History of Cinema in Somalia
/ref> Following the creation of the
Somali Film Agency The Somali Film Agency (SFA) was a film Regulatory agency, regulatory body based in Mogadishu, Somalia. History Following a bloodless military coup d'รฉtat in 1969, the production, distribution and importation of films in the country were National ...
(SFA) regulatory body in 1975, the local film scene began to expand rapidly. In the 1970s and early 1980s, popular musicals known as ''Riwaayado'' were the main driving force behind the Somali movie industry. Epic and period films as well as international co-productions followed suit, facilitated by the proliferation of
video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
technology and national television networks. In the 1990s and 2000s, a new wave of more entertainment-oriented movies emerged in the
Somali diaspora The Somali diaspora or Qurbajoogta refers to Somalis who were born in Greater Somalia and reside in areas of the world that they were not born in. The civil war in Somalia greatly increased the size of the Somali diaspora, as many Somalis moved fr ...
. Referred to as ''Somaliwood'', this upstart cinematic movement energized the local movie scene, in the process introducing innovative storylines, production techniques and advertising strategies. The latter include
cross-media marketing Cross-media marketing is a form of cross-promotion in which promotional companies commit to surpassing traditional advertisement techniques and decide to include extra appeals to the products they offer. The material can be communicated by any mas ...
, with
tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...
film soundtracks featuring prominent
Somali music The Music of the Somali people () is music following the musical styles, techniques and sounds of the Somali people. Overview Traditional Somali music Somali people have a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali folklore. Soma ...
artists. Popular movies from Somaliwood include the Somali language
slasher Slasher may refer to: * Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball * Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film * Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement * ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film * ''Slasher'' (2007 film) ...
thriller ''Xaaskayga Araweelo'', the
action comedy Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of actio ...
''Rajo'', and ''Warmooge'', the first Somali
animated film Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...
. The young directors
Abdisalam Aato Abdisalam Aato ( so, Cabdisalaan Caato; ar, ุนุจุฏ ุงู„ุณู„ุงู… ุนุงุชูˆ) (born 1976) is a Somali- American film director, producer, entrepreneur and media consultant. He is the founder of Olol Films, a production company at the forefront of ...
of Olol Films and Abdi Malik Isak are at the forefront of this quiet revolution. In 2010, the Somali director
Mo Ali Mo Ali ( so, Maxamed Cali, ar, ู…ุญู…ุฏ ุนู„ูŠ) is a Somali-British film director. Biography Ali was born in Saudi Arabia. He began his movie career in 2010, making his directorial debut in the drama film '' Shank'', set in a futuristic Lon ...
also released '' Shank'', his first feature film set in a futuristic London.


See also

*
List of Somali films The following is a list of Somali films. A * ''Ali Iyo Awrala'' (2006) * ''Ambad'' (2011) * ''Ayaanle'' (2022) C * ''Carara'' (2009) * ''Charcoal Traffic'' (2008) * ''Ciyaar Mood'' (1986) * ''La Conchiglia'' (1992) D * ''Dan Iyo Xarrago'' (19 ...
*
Somali Film Agency The Somali Film Agency (SFA) was a film Regulatory agency, regulatory body based in Mogadishu, Somalia. History Following a bloodless military coup d'รฉtat in 1969, the production, distribution and importation of films in the country were National ...
*
Hollywood-inspired names Hollywood-inspired nicknames, most starting with the first letter or letters of the location and ending in the suffix "-ollywood" or "-wood", have been given to various locations around the world with associations to the film industry โ€“ inspire ...


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * *


External links


Director Abdisalam Aatoโ€™s films on MyspaceOlol Films WebsiteJilaa
{{CinemaoftheUS Cinema of Somalia Somali-language films Somali-American history