The Somali Dervish

The Somali Dervish
Directed bySaid Salah, Amar Sneh
Release date
  • 1985 (1985)
Running time
270 minutes
CountriesSomalia
India
LanguagesItalian
English
Arabic
Somali

The Somali Dervish was an epic film directed by Said Salah and Amar Sneh between 1983 and 1985. It is one of the few full-length feature films to have been produced in Somalia.[1]

With a budget of $1.8 million, the 4-hour-and-40-minute epic followed the life of Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, emir of Darawiish sultan Diiriye Guure of the revolutionary Darawiish anti-colonialists. Seven languages were used for film dialogue: Somali, Arabic, Italian, English, and three regional dialects. The movie included an actual descendant of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan as its star, Sheikh Osman Mohamoud Omar, and featured hundreds of actors and extras.[2] Once thought to be lost, the movie was found in the National Film Archive of India in late 2019.[3]

References

  1. ^ Oscar Harding, The Best African Movies, From All 54 African Countries, Cinema Escapist, 10 February 2019.
  2. ^ Gray, Jerry (15 June 1985). "Exploits of Somalia's national hero becomes basis for movie". Kentucky New Era. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Somalian director finds his lost film reel in Pune's NFAI after 34 years". Hindustan Times. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2022.


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