Idil Ibrahim
| Idil Ibrahim إيديل إبراهيم | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Somalia |
| Residence | New York City |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
UC Berkeley New York University |
| Occupation | film director, producer, actress, writer and entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Website |
www |
Idil Ibrahim (Somali: Idil Ibraahiim, Arabic: إيديل إبراهيم) is a Somali–American film director, producer, actress, writer and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Zeila Films, a film production company based in New York.
Personal life
Ibrahim earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2002 from the University of California, Berkeley.[1] In her senior year at the institution, she was selected as an Episodic Series Intern for the competitive Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) Internship program. She was also chosen as an Arts Bridge Scholar for UC Berkeley's Consortium for the Arts.[2]
Additionally, Ibrahim attended graduate studies at New York University, having won a Nadine Abergel Arts Fellowship.[2]
Ibrahim was the life partner of combat photojournalist Tim Hetherington until he was killed while on assignment in Misrata, Libya during the 2011 Libyan civil war. U.S. Senator John McCain sent two American flags to Hetherington's memorial service in New York, one of which was presented to Ibrahim by members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade who had served under combat with Hetherington and writer Sebastian Junger on a multitude of occasions.
She presently resides in New York, and frequently travels around the world on various film projects.[2]
Career
During her time as an Arts Bridge Scholar, Ibrahim taught documentary film analysis and film production to Berkeley High School students.[2]
Her first film project was during her ATAS internship at UC Berkeley, when she worked on the Lifetime Network's Any Day Now television show.[2]
In 2008, Ibrahim served as an Associate Producer on the feature documentary Americana. Directed by Topaz Adizes (City, Seven Miles Alone) and produced by Corinne Golden Weber (Babel, 21 Grams, Revolutionary Road), it was an official selection of the 2009 Cinéma du Réel festival at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.[2][3] The work was also selected for the Margaret Mead International Documentary Film Festival and the Dallas AFI Film Festival.[2]
In 2009, Ibrahim again served as an Associate Producer on Trece años, a short film that was an official selection of that year's Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. It was also selected for the Los Angeles International Film Festival, Aspen Shortsfest, GenArt Film Festival and Ashland Independent Film Festival. Additionally, the short was featured at the Pangaea Day global multimedia event, which was concurrently broadcast in various cities around the world, including Cairo, Rio de Janeiro, London and New York.[2]
Ibrahim also directed the official promotional video for the Mataano fashion line's 2009 Fall collection. She likewise directed the official promotional video for the company's 2010 Spring collection.[4]
Ibrahim later served as an Associate Producer on the 2010 film Laredo, Texas. The short was an official selection at that year's Sundance Film Festival.[2]
Concurrently, Ibrahim made her directorial debut with the documentary film Displaced, part of the Tribeca Film Institute's Tribeca All Access program. The Iranian-Canadian-American filmmaker Anna Fahr served alongside her as a producer on the project.[5]
In 2013, Ibrahim produced the short film Homecoming.[6] She shortly afterwards co-produced Transit Game, a 2014 short written and directed by Anna Fahr.[7] Ibrahim also worked as a producer on Am I Going Too Fast?.[1]
As an actress, Ibrahim has performed in independent cinema, commercial work, and off-off Broadway theater productions.[3]
Most of Ibrahim's film work is done through Zeila Films, a New York-based film production company that she founded. It was named after the old city of Zeila in northern Somalia, which served as an ancient center for global trade and cultural and civilizational interaction. Alongside producer Anna Fahr, Zeila Films uses film and media to recount global stories with a personal edge. The award-winning American journalist John Ryan also serves as a producer in the firm.[2] Additionally, the late British photographer and filmmaker Tim Hetherington, Idil's life partner, previously acted as Zeila Films' head Cinematographer/Director of Photography.[2][8]
Filmography
- Americana (2008)
- Trece años (2009)
- Laredo, Texas (2010)
- Displaced (2010)
- Homecoming (2013)
- Transit Game (2014)
See also
References
- 1 2 "Cal at Sundance Film Festival". UC Berkeley. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "About Us". Zeila Films. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- 1 2 "Idil Ibrahim, Director & Producer, Zeila Films". Africa Social Enterprise Forum 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ↑ "Zeila Films". Zeila Films. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ↑ "Displaced". Tribeca Film Institute. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ↑ "Idil Ibrahim". Cinemarx. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Updates". Anna Fahr. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ↑ Ibrahim, Idil (December 11, 2011). "Tim Hetherington remembered by Idil Ibrahim". The Guardian. Retrieved December 4, 2013.