Abdisalam Aato
It is proposed that this article be deleted because of the following concern:
If you can address this concern by improving, copyediting, sourcing, renaming, or merging the page, please edit this page and do so. You may remove this message if you improve the article or otherwise object to deletion for any reason. Although not required, you are encouraged to explain why you object to the deletion, either in your edit summary or on the talk page. If this template is removed, do not replace it. The article may be deleted if this message remains in place for seven days, i.e., after 12:24, 31 May 2024 (UTC). Find sources: "Abdisalam Aato" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR Nominator: Please consider notifying the author/project: {{subst:proposed deletion notify|Abdisalam Aato|concern=The subject of this article does not meet notability guidelines due to a lack of significant coverage in independent, reliable sources.}} ~~~~ |
Abdisalam Aato عبد السلام عاتو | |
---|---|
Born | 1976 (age 47–48) |
Nationality (legal) | American |
Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, entrepreneur, media consultant |
Years active | 2000s–present |
Abdisalam Aato (Somali: Cabdisalaan Caato; Arabic: عبد السلام عاتو) (born 1976) is a Somali-American film director, producer, entrepreneur and media consultant.[1] He is the founder of Olol Films, a production company at the forefront of the Somaliwood movement within the Somali film industry.
Personal life[edit]
Aato was born in the '70s in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. He comes from the Leelkase Tanade a subclan of Daarood., a sub-clan of the Darod clan.[2] After the civil war broke out in the early 1990s, he fled to Kenya in 1993, where he lived in a refugee camp near Mombasa for over three years.[3][1]
In 1996, Aato traveled to the United States at the invitation of his brother.[2][3] He initially resettled in Atlanta, Georgia with his entire family, prior to his father's death. In 2001, he relocated to Columbus, Ohio, a prominent center for the Somali diaspora, where he is currently based.[3][1]
Aato is married. He describes his wife as his driving inspiration.[2]
Career[edit]
While in Georgia, Aato began his professional career as a broadcaster and radio announcer at a community television station, Media One. He would write screenplays a minute at a time, subsequently moving on to scripting full-length feature films.[2] With his experience learning film production at Media One, Aato later founded Olol Films, a Columbus-based production company that is at the forefront of the Somaliwood movement within the Somali film industry.[3][1]
In 2003, he released Rajo ("Hope"), his first feature-length Somali film. It is a semi-autobiographical action drama about a young Somali refugee.[1] The movie was a relatively large production, with a helicopter and luxury vehicles hired for the purpose. It premiered to full houses on Thanksgiving at Studio 35 and a Minneapolis theater.[2] It is It has since become recognized as the first film in the Somaliwood movement and made Columbus the center of Somali diasporic film production.[1] The film marked the beginning of a new wave of Somali films in the 2000s; these films were written, directed and produced by Somali emigres outside Somalia.[1]
As of 2007, Aato has produced, written and directed nine feature films and documentaries in his Cleveland Avenue studio. Two other productions were also in development.[3] He works closely with his wife on all of his film projects, wherein she provides consultation and advice on areas in need of improvement.[2]
Additionally, Aato launched Bartamaha, a multimedia website dedicated to Somali music, short films, news and culture.[3] He likewise hosts the weekly television and online program the Wargelin Show, which focuses on Somali politics and society.[4] As of 2013, Aato also serves as a Senior Media Advisor to the Federal Government of Somalia.[5]
Filmography[edit]
- Rajo (2003)
- Xaaskayga Araweelo (2006)
- Ambad (2011)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Bick, Tenley (March 4, 2019). "What Goes Around Comes Around". Third Text. 33 (2): 153–177. doi:10.1080/09528822.2019.1599577. ISSN 0952-8822.
- ^ a b c d e f Mbatiah, Suleiman (April 4, 2011). "On a Mission to Market Somaliwood". On Islam. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "Somaliwood: Columbus Has Become A Haven for the Somali film industry". The Other Paper. April 19, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
- ^ "Wargelin Show". Bartamaha. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- ^ "Abdisalam Aato". Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Ethnic Somali people
- Somalian emigrants to the United States
- Somalian film directors
- Somalian film producers
- American film producers
- People from Mogadishu
- African-American Muslims
- African-American film directors
- 21st-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American businesspeople
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- Muslims from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Muslims from Ohio