Samia

I had the honour to go to the open night of Ottawa Black Film Festival. They screened "Samia," to kick things off. Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of Samia, who grew up in war-torn Somalia and dreamed big for herself. She dreamed of not only winning the local race in her village, but going all the way to the Olympics. If you have been reading this blog, you will know I'm a sucker for underdog sports films. This is another one. Very much like "The Swimmers" (the film about Syrian refugee sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, who journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics), "Samia" is the tale of her journey to the 2008 Beijing Olympics when Samia was only 17. The other part of this film follows her attempt to flee Somalia to compete in the 2012 London games. The film echoes others like "El Norte" and "Flee" - escaping illegally by way of dubious men in boats, or shipping containers, or both. Films such as "Samia" remind me how lucky I am to not live in a large portion of the world where authoritarian regimes (often orthodox Islam) are running the show. I am free and don't have to worry about being shot at and have access to clean drinking water. Samia story is one of perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, of courage, and I found it to be very moving. llham Mohamed Osman who plays older Samia and Riyan Roble you plays younger Samia are both wonderful. It might be a hard film to find. Be like Samia, you will find it if you just keep looking.