Tuesday 18,Febr,2025{HMC} Somali-Canadian actress Sabrina Dhowre Elba has been cast in Nuur, an upcoming feature film directed by Lula Ali Ismaïl, a Canadian-Djiboutian filmmaker known for her groundbreaking debut Dhalinyaro. The film, produced by Scythia Films and Good Question Media, is an adaptation of Somali-Canadian writer Hassan Ghedi Santur’s acclaimed novel The Youth of God.
Elba will portray Haawo, a Somali mother navigating single parenthood in Toronto’s tight-knit Somali community. She joins a cast that includes Omar Abdi (The Gravedigger’s Wife) and Hamza Fouad (Riverdale).
“Nuur” follows the story of a 17-year-old boy grappling with faith, academic aspirations, and the pressures of assimilation. He is caught between two opposing mentors—a radical imam and a compassionate teacher—forcing him to make a life-altering decision. When he disappears, his mother embarks on a desperate search for her son, confronting the weight of her past and the challenges of her new life in Canada.
“I’m honoured to play Haawo in Nuur,” Elba said in a statement. “This role holds deep significance for me, and working with Lula Ali Ismaïl has been an incredible experience. Her vision and storytelling bring this vital story to life.”
Director Ismaïl, who made history as Djibouti’s first female filmmaker, has long focused on stories of migration and identity. Her previous film, Dhalinyaro, explored class differences and youth aspirations in Djibouti. With Nuur, she seeks to depict the universal experience of displacement and belonging, particularly within the Somali diaspora.
“This story is deeply personal,” Ismaïl said. “As someone who has lived the migrant experience, I want to portray the internal and external battles of those searching for home in a new world.”
Hassan Ghedi Santur, the novel’s author and screenwriter, is a journalist and novelist whose works explore migration, radicalization, and belonging. His book The Youth of God was longlisted for Canada Reads 2020 and has been widely praised for its poignant depiction of the challenges faced by young Somali immigrants in the West. His work draws from extensive research on the radicalization of young Somali men in Canada and the alienation they often experience.
