The Youth of God, a novel by Somali-Canadian author Hassan Ghedi Santur, is being adapted into a feature film. Scythia Films and Good Question Media have teamed up to produce the film, with Lula Ali Ismaïl of Dhalinyaro directing. While casting is still ongoing, Omar Abdi (The Gravedigger’s Wife) and Hamza Fouad (Riverdale, Arrow) are confirmed to star. The executive producers include Jordan Hart (I, Object), Michael Bronner (The Mauritanian, Captain Phillips), and Bhakti Shringarpure of Smashing Dandelions, known to Brittle Paper readers as the founder of Radical Books Collective.

The Youth of God is Santur’s second novel. It tells the story of a 17-year-old Somali boy navigating the challenges of religious radicalization in a Toronto suburb. The novel was longlisted for Canada Reads in 2020 and was a finalist for the 2019 Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award for Excellence in African Writing. Readers follow the protagonist as he negotiates the challenges of his faith, ambition, and troubled family life. You can read more about the book and buy a copy here.

Santur, who also wrote the film script, revisits issues close to his heart. In 2018, he received a Pulitzer Prize grant to write about young Somali boys who become radicalized, defect, and attempt to rebuild their lives. Nuur addresses radicalization through the lenses of immigration and intergenerational trauma, painting a vivid picture of the challenges faced by Black, Muslim migrants in a North American city.

With its promise of offering an evocative and raw portrayal of the migrant experience, Nuur is well on its way to joining the ranks of immigrant film classics like Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, Mira Nair’s The Namesake, and Andrew Dosunmu’s Mother of George. Canadian-Djiboutian director Lula Ali Ismaïl, through her debut feature Dhalinyaro, has shown her exceptional ability to tell stories that are tender, truthful, and beautiful. With Nuur, she draws from her own experiences as an immigrant to tell a story that is both authentic and universal. Ismaïl writes in a press release: “Nuur is close to my heart because it will allow me to show the specific and the universal experience of Somali migration from within, having been part of it myself, and to authentically document the experiences of those who struggle to feel good in a new place.”

The Youth of God is the latest among a growing list of African fiction being optioned for the big screen. Unlike others still early in the process, Nuur has secured funding from Telefilm Canada, a government corporation providing financial support for Canadian productions. With casting underway and funding secured, Nuur is set to join the ranks of African books like Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls and Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman that have successfully made it to the big screen.

As Nuur progresses towards production, we look forward to its contributions to the representation of African literature in cinema and the compelling story we hope it tells about the many realities of Somali immigrant experience.