Somalia will showcase a selection of contemporary Somali cinema at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, with screenings taking place at Palazzo Caboto from 11–13 September 2026.
Launched in May 2026, the Somalia National Pavilion marks the country’s first-ever national pavilion and first official national participation at La Biennale di Venezia.
As part of the public programme of SADDEXLEEY, the pavilion’s inaugural exhibition in Venice, the film programme brings together fiction, documentary and experimental works by Somali filmmakers based in Somalia and across the diaspora. The programme is curated by archivist and curator Idel Rasheed, with all films selected through an open call and presented in collaboration with Waaberi Phone, a digital platform and archive focused on preserving Somali arts and culture.
The programme explores themes including childhood, memory, grief, faith, family and inherited traditions. Rather than presenting a single narrative of Somali identity, the selection brings together diverse voices, generations and perspectives.
“The films move across different geographies, generations and ways of seeing. Together, they create space for the breadth and complexity of contemporary Somali storytelling,” said Rasheed.
A key highlight is the international premiere of Hussein Boon’s Flames of Tradition. Filmed in Borama with an entirely Somali cast and crew, the feature follows two young people whose relationship unfolds against a backdrop of inherited tensions and social conflict.
The programme also features Warya, a short mockumentary by Somali-Australian filmmaker Miski Omar. Shot in Somalia, the film follows a young boy in Garlogoobe whose search for a missing bottle of Fanta develops into a story about friendship, imagination and childhood.
Other films include Isn’t This What I’m Supposed to Feel by Abdimalik Ahmed; Growing Pains II by Wasima Farah and Bakar Elmi; A Journey Back to Allah by Qasim A. Ali and Feisal Mohamed; I’ll Wait for You by the Sea by Rasia Yusuf; the Somalia–Kenya co-production Gacal by Mohamed Ali; and Surffice (Deeqa), the debut film by Somali musician Aar Maanta.
The screenings take place during the closing days of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival but are independently presented as part of the Somalia National Pavilion’s public programme and are not part of the festival’s official film selection.
Somalia’s debut at La Biennale di Venezia represents a significant milestone for the country’s cultural and creative industries, providing an international platform for contemporary Somali artists and filmmakers to share stories shaped by diverse experiences, histories and perspectives.
