My name is Amal Mohamud and I am a writer, director and producer from Edmonton. I use my media skills and storytelling abilities to create and tell visual stories on screen. I am a proud 28-year-old first-generation Muslim Somali Canadian that can speak 3 different languages – Somali, Arabic and English. Highlighting diverse Edmonton stories on screen is an art form for me because I am communicating narratives in a visual matter.
I feel that stories help bring people together and the idea of bringing my own visuals to life as a storyteller is my way of being an artist. I have worked extremely hard to further my career as a writer, director and producer in Edmonton.
I have always had a passion for storytelling and that’s why I pursed media. I enjoyed writing, directing and producing meaningful projects. The lack of diversity on screen has also really motivated me to want to showcase stories from underrepresented communities. I believe that representation of minorities matters and, in my case, growing up I never saw someone that I was able to relate to, that looked like me. For that reason, I decided that it was my mission and purpose to give voice to the voiceless.
In 2016, I reached out to Shaw TV Edmonton to volunteer on their Edmonton community television program, a platform where they covered local stories for the Edmonton community. They were very supportive and allowed me to produce, write and direct some projects with their team and it aired on their platform. After my experience with Shaw TV Edmonton, OMNI Alberta's team reached out to me and offered me a position to join the Somalis in Alberta program community program. Being a part of OMNI was important to me, I've received many positive feedbacks from viewers saying they enjoyed the program because it was relatable to them. The lack of diversity and negative media representations of my community has motivated me to tell positive Somali stories.
I recently developed my first documentary project with AMI accessible media earlier this year, the documentary was about Canadian organizations creating virtual programs for people with disabilities during the pandemic. I am extremely proud of my accomplishments and I can't wait to create, develop and produce more and new projects as a storyteller. I want to inspire and motivate my community members by exhibiting our Edmonton community in the spotlight.
Submission by Amal Mohamud
