Khadar Ayderus Ahmed
Khadar Ayderus Ahmed | |
|---|---|
| Born | Khadar Ayderus Ahmed 10 January 1981 Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Occupations | Director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Known for | The Gravedigger's Wife (2021) |
Khadar Ayderus Ahmed (born 10 January 1981), is a Finnish-Somali director and writer. He is best known for directing the feature film The Gravedigger's Wife (2021).
Early life and education
Khadar Ayderus Ahmed was born on 10 January 1981 in Mogadishu, Somalia.[1] At the age of 16, he moved to Finland as a refugee with his family.[2][3][4]
Career
In 2008, he wrote the script the award-winning short film Citizens, directed by Juho Kuosmanen, for which he also served as second assistant director.[5]
In 2014, he directed his first short Me ei vietetä joulua, which received critical acclaim. He later directed two more shorts: Yövaras (2017) and The Killing of Cahceravga (2018).[6]
In 2021, Ahmed directed his first feature film, The Gravedigger's Wife (Guled & Nasra).[7] The film premiered in July 2021 in the Critics' Week section at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.[8]
Awards and nominations
The Gravedigger's Wife was nominated for the Critics' Week Grand Prize and Caméra d'Or at Cannes. It received wide critical acclaim and screened in multiple film festivals, including FESPACO where it won the Golden Stallion of Yennenga, the festival's top prize. The film was also nominated for the Grand-Prix Award under the International Competition at the Kyiv International Short Film Festival. He was also nominated for the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film became the first Somali submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.[9][10]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Africa Movie Academy Awards | Best Director | The Gravedigger's Wife | Nominated | [11] |
| Best Film in An African Language | Won | ||||
| Best First Feature Film by a Director | Nominated |
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Genre | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Citizens | Second assistant director, Writer | Short film | |
| 2014 | Me ei vietetä joulua | Director, writer | Short film | |
| 2017 | Unexpected Journey | Screenwriter, Story | Film | |
| 2017 | Yövaras | Director, writer | Short film | |
| 2019 | The Killing of Cahceravga | Director, writer | Short film | |
| 2021 | The Gravedigger's Wife | Director, writer | Film |
References
- ↑ "SPLA: Khadar Ayderus Ahmed". Spla. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "Interview with director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed : La Semaine de la Critique of Festival de Cannes". Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "Cannesissa kilpailee kaksi suomalaista teosta – tänään nähty Guled & Nasra pääsi sarjaan, johon suomalaista pitkää elokuvaa ei ole ennen valittu". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 7 July 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "Elokuvat: Suomalaisen Khadar Ahmedin ohjaama Guled & Nasra pääsi Cannesin elokuvajuhlille – Ensimmäinen pitkä suomalaiselokuva, joka esitetään festivaalin arvostetussa kriitikkosarjassa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "The Gravedigger's Wife's director on his film journey to Cannes". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ Bałaga, Marta (15 September 2021). "'Finnish Cinema Is So White,' Says 'The Gravedigger's Wife' Helmer Khadar Ayderus Ahmed". Variety. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "'We are a nation of stories and poems': Khadar Ayderus Ahmed on The Gravedigger's Wife". Seventh Row. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ Nesselson, Lisa (7 July 2021). "'The Gravedigger's Wife': Cannes Review". Screen. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "Die Totengräber von Dschibuti". MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (in German). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ Yossman, Patrick Frater; Leo Barraclough, K J. (6 October 2021). "Oscars Race: Taiwan Selects 'The Falls' for International Feature Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ Banjo, Noah (29 October 2021). "FULL LIST: Ayinla, Omo Ghetto: The Saga bag multiple nominations at AMAA 2021". The Punch. Retrieved 30 October 2021.