Enjoy Somali Cinema this Black History Month

Almas Art Foundation, in partnership with Kayd and with the support of SAAFI, warmly invites you to a special screening of Lifeline. Join us for an inspiring evening featuring Lifeline, the acclaimed debut feature film by award-winning filmmaker Ilhan Abdullahi. Lifeline explores the complexities of community care and the film follows a young Somali woman, who works as a youth worker and is assigned to a high-stakes case that forces her to confront her past in order to reconnect with her community.

This will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Ilhan Abdullahi.

Ilhan Abdullahi is a Somali-Canadian community organizer, filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada. She develops character-driven stories that explore identity, belonging, and social change, with a particular focus on Black, Muslim, and refugee communities. Over the past few years, she has produced and directed multiple short films, including Dreamers, Not For Us, Unqualified and The Houseguest, while developing her debut feature film, Lifeline. Her work is grounded in community-centered storytelling and has been recognized for amplifying voices and experiences often absent from mainstream screen narratives. Beyond filmmaking, Ilhan is deeply involved in community work and public health research, having led initiatives that convene creatives, entrepreneurs, and community leaders across North America. She is the creator of The Somali Link Up, a growing network connecting Somali creatives and changemakers, and is passionate about building sustainable pathways for underrepresented storytellers both on and off screen.

Host: Khadar Ayderus Ahmed is a Somali-Finnish filmmaker whose films have been screened internationally. He is best known for directing the feature film The Gravedigger's Wife.