Idil Ibrahim
a self proclaimed nomad, has filmed in or visited nearly every continent in the world. Her films have been featured both nationally and internationally at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Toronto International Film Festival, BlackStar, Clermont-Ferrand, Cinéma du Réel and Sundance Film Festival, among others.
Idil was selected as one of five women directors to direct a short film for Glamour Magazine's The Girl Project for "Get Schooled," a series focusing on girls education around the world in Malawi, India, Brazil and the United States.
She is a recipient of the 2017 Extraordinary Women Awards held by the 92nd Street Y, a hub for women to learn and inspire others by sharing their knowledge, ideas, insights and strengths. She was also selected as one of OkayAfrica's "100 Women" for 2018.
A graduate of UC Berkeley, her work has led her around the world. She wrote and directed the film Sega, starring Alassane Sy (Restless City, Mediterranea), which examines the issue of migration and repatriation. Sega was selected as part of the international competition at the prestigious Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival, and went on to win the jury award for Best Short Film at the 2019 Blackstar Film Festival and the Golden Dhow for Best Short Film at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. Sega was acquired by Canal Plus Cinema for television distribution throughout Europe and Africa.
She co-wrote and served as a consulting producer on Season 2 of Apple TV’s award winning show Little America and directed One Week Notice, a five part docu-series on Revolt TV.
In 2022, she was hand picked as a director for the Queen Collective, part of the Widen the Screen initiative of Tribeca Studios, Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit and Proctor and Gamble.
Her latest film In Her Element premiered on BET during Black History Month as part of the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards weekend.
She was recently selected as a member of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Writers' Studio 2023 cohort as a writer-director where she is also a recipient of the CHANEL Women Writers’ Network grant as part of Share Her Journey, a year-round initiative to advance the careers of women and non-binary alumni of TIFF Writers’ Studio.
She is currently developing some exciting projects for television and film.
Awards
2017 Extraordinary Women Awards by the 92nd Street Y, Emily Rosenthal Award
Reel South Short Film Award at Nashville Film Festival
Jury Award Best Short Film Blackstar International Film Festival
OkayAfrica's #100AfricanWomen of 2018
San Francisco Film Society (SF Film) Rainin Grant
Jury Award Best Male Performance, Dakar Court International Film Festival
International Jury Member by United Nations International Organization for Migration and UN AOC for PluralPlus 2018
Jury Award Best Short Film Zanzibar International Film Festival
Speaking
ATX TV Festival, Austin, Texas
International Jury Member by United Nations International Organization for Migration and UN AOC for PluralPlus 2018
Bronx Lab School
Nordic Somali Youth Summit, Stockholm, Sweden
Berkeley Film Showcase
Seventh Art Stand at the Doris Duke Theatre, Honolulu Museum of Art
Blackhouse @ Sundance Film Festival 2023
Augsberg College
Bronx Documentary Center “Empowered Storytelling”
Africa is Next, William Morris Endeavor (WME) Agency
Our Community, Our Stories: An Unfiltered Discussion with African Women Using New Media to Amplify the Voices of the Global Female Diaspora, hosted by Okay Africa
Best of Blackstar at Colgate University