Ilhan Abdullahi
Writer |Director
Ilhan Abdullahi is a Somali Canadian community organizer and filmmaker living and working on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Drawing inspiration from her family's journey as newcomers in Canada, she actively engages in community outreach, research, organizing efforts and storytelling in hopes of addressing health and social inequities.
With a passion for storytelling that reflects the lived experiences of the communities she is a part of, Ilhan made her directorial debut in 2021 with the short documentary Dreamers, which follows the journey of two Somali refugee youth aspiring to become soccer professionals. In 2022, Ilhan received the Telus StoryHive Black Creator's Edition grant for her short comedy Not For Us, currently on the festival circuit. She also has two short films, Unqualified and Lifeline, making the rounds at festivals. Recently, she became an alumni of the Whistler Film Festival Screenwriters Lab and is developing her feature script, Lifeline.
