The artist

Ibrahim Mursal is a Norwegian-Somali-Sudanese filmmaker and writer whose work explores identity, leveraging his multicultural background to challenge established views and foster meaningful dialogue.

Originally trained as an oil engineer, Mursal pursued his passion for film, achieving international acclaim with his breakthrough documentary, The Art of Sin (2020). His subsequent short documentaries include Connections (2022), examining multicultural youth perspectives, and Set-Pieces (2024), which premiered at the Bergen International Film Festival.

Mursal's work expanded from documentary into fiction, directing the critically acclaimed short film, African Family Dinner (2024), selected in major film festivals all around the world like Tribeca Film Festival (USA), Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Japan) and the Red Sea International Film Festival (Saudi Arabia).

With support from the Norwegian Film Institute, he is now developing his first feature film, exploring justice, morality, and cultural upbringing. He also is developing a hybrid Narrative/Video Art project, exploring the class struggle through the lense of Islamic religious folklore.

In addition to filmmaking, Mursal serves as a film advisor at Sex og Politikk (IPPF Norway) and lectures at schools and universities, using film as an educational tool to explore complex themes like gender roles, taboos, mental health, religion, and sexuality.

GALLERY

Selected works

Filmography:

2024: Set Pieces – Short Documentary.

2024: African Family Dinner – Short Fiction.

2022: Connections - Short Documentary.

2020: The Art of Sin – Mid-length Documentary.

2017: The art of being a sinner – Short Documentary.

2015: Filim – Short fiction.

2012: 50 Piasters – Short fiction.

African Family Dinner (Short Fiction, 2024)

In African Family Dinner, Mursal explores cultural appropriation and racial microaggressions through a short comedy.

Mona, a Norwegian blonde, meets her Ghanaian boyfriends family for the first time. What starts as a simple dinner with both sides eager to impress each other, quickly escalates into the most awkward dinner in history!

The Art of Sin (Documentary, 2020)

Norwegian title: Kunsten å være syndig

In this documentary, Mursal follows Ahmed Umar, a successful young Sudanese artist, living and working in Norway, where he has been living for the past ten years after fleeing from Sudan. Struggling with his sexuality, Ahmed was forced to leave his home country, which is one of seven countries that still practice the death penalty for homosexuality. In Norway, Ahmed Umar has affirmed his sexual identity, becoming the first openly gay man from Sudan, he is also one of the most successful up and coming young artists, exhibiting throughout galleries in Norway, and internationally. Despite the success, he is still missing something. In 2018 he decides to go to Sudan to reunite with his mother and his family, hoping to affirm his Sudanese identity in a country that sees him as a sinner.

Read more here.