When Warda Mohamed posted a message on social media that she had completed her feature film script, she never expected it to change her career. “I genuinely thought it was just going to be a few people saying, ‘Oh my God, well done’,” she says. “I posted it at nine o’clock at night and thought nothing of it.” By morning, a commissioner at BBC Film had reached out, setting the wheels in motion for what would become Muna – an 18-minute short film that screened at more than 60 international film festivals, won multiple awards, and has now made its way to BBC iPlayer.
Muna tells the story of a British-Somali teenager, played by Kosar Ali (Bafta-nominated for Rocks), who navigates a complex mother-daughter relationship while mourning a grandfather she never met. Her grief mirrors Mohamed’s own experience growing up. “There isn’t an answer to [grief],” Mohamed says. “You have to feel it as you go along.” Ali, with her deep connection to the story, was instinctively drawn to the role: “When I approach Somali stories, it’s always a yes before a no because there are so few,” she says.
Mohamed, who co-directed the play Dugsi Dayz in 2022, aimed to create an authentic representation of British-Somali life. “For too long, Somali people have been portrayed through stereotypes in western cinema,” she says. “I want to show all of the beauty and richness of being British-Somali.” Ali echoes this sentiment: “It’s rare to find Muslim stories that aren’t warped with negativity, so I wanted to do it right.” However, achieving this authenticity came with its own set of issue; Ali, who helped source some of the cast, says: “The casting process was really challenging because of a lack of Somali actors. In the end, we had to street cast [approach and ask the general public] and use our networks to make it work.”
Beyond grief, Muna also explores culture, family, and belonging. Ali, who earned her first executive producer credit as well as playing the lead role, is especially passionate about the authenticity of the mother-daughter dynamic. “It isn’t about clashes of culture or religion; it is about two people figuring things out. It is a universal experience that many can relate to.”
The soundtrack blends contemporary UK and traditional Somali music, with Muna curating the perfect playlist for her school trip. Ali adds: “I wanted to keep it fun and authentic to me. The music used and the dance scene was a true representation of me as a person, not just acting.”
Finding the right oud player for a scene with Muna’s grandfather was also a challenge, but Mohamed’s persistence led her to connect with a musician in Mogadishu through her family. “It was chaotic but beautiful,” Mohamed says. “Shooting in Somalia captured the duality of being British-Somali and made it all the more worthwhile.”
The production was shaped by Mohamed’s commitment to a faith-based film-making approach to reflect the cast and production staff. “It was important for me that our set reflected the values of the community we were representing,” Mohamed says. “When you see the prayer scenes, they’re not just performances – they’re actual prayers.”
Mohamed reflects on the barriers she has faced as a working-class film-maker: “It took more than four years to get funding,” she says. “One of the biggest roadblocks was people not understanding the story. They wanted me to focus on the wake, but I wanted to show it through the eyes of a young girl who doesn’t know why she’s grieving, or what she is meant to feel.”
“The people in positions of power don’t understand our stories,” she adds. “Representation is crucial – not just for the audience but for decision-makers too. We need people from different backgrounds in development, executive, and commissioning roles so they can understand stories that haven’t been seen on screen before.”
After its successful festival run, Mohamed says she heard from many people wanting to watch Muna again or for the first time – so she is delighted the film is now on the BBC’s iPlayer platform. “The iPlayer release feels like Muna has been given new life,” she says. “It’s been joyful to see different parts of the world respond and hear how people connect with Muna, her brother, or even the parents.” For now, Mohamed has set a new precedent for Somali storytelling in British cinema. “We have to keep making things, keep writing, keep telling our stories,” she says. “And hopefully, people will eventually see us the way we want to be seen.”
Source: theguardian.com
