Nura Ahmed

In The Photo, recorded in English and Somali, Nura Ahmed explores the language of family and grief

Explore the Films Created by Seattle’s Next Generation of Talent

Through a creative partnership with Fujifilm, the Africatown Community Land Trust, and William Grose Center for Cultural Innovation, six young adults honed their hands-on filmmaking skills and strengthened their creative confidence as interns at All Is Well studios in Seattle. During their three-month paid internships, each wrote, directed, and produced a one-minute mock commercial for All Is Well.

The results were as unique and creative as the diverse roster of interns. In a largely white industry, this group of creatives included multiracial, Asian American, Black, Somali, Mexican-American, LGBTQ+, and refugee individuals with funny, silly, scary, sad, thoughtful, and heartfelt stories to tell.

Through this series, we hear from each intern as they reflect on their 60-second project and how the internship fueled their artistic ambitions.

The Photo

I am a filmmaker, writer, and organizer. I’ve lived in Seattle since I was 9 years old, when I moved here from Kampala, Uganda as a refugee, and have been a writer ever since I was a little girl. My identity as a Somali-American Muslim woman has inspired so much of my work. Writing about the Muslim, Black, and Somali experience has shown me just how much of our stories don’t get told.

I have always been fascinated by the way film connects our hearts to one another, the way it can reflect our own humanity back at us. Whenever I have an idea for a film, or for anything, the first thing I do is write about it. If I believe in the message, the human feeling behind it, that’s when I begin the process of bringing the vision to life. I wanted to learn more about narrative filmmaking. The internship changed the way I saw writing, art, and so much more. It gave me the confidence in knowing I can make films.

The Photo is based on my relationship with my mother and around how each generation handles grief. I wanted to explore the concept of grief, family, and what it means to lose something. Different families and cultures handle grief differently. I dug deep into conversations I had with my mother and sister, knowing that there’s something beautiful in how we all approach it. 

When we tell our stories, we take back our power, but more importantly something beautiful can manifest before our own eyes. The more we make space for all of us to tell stories that are by and for us, life-changing moments can happen.

Watch The Photo in full on the All Is Well website.

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