Lula Ali Ismaïl

Lula Ali Ismaïl, born in 1978, is a pioneering Djibouti-Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter, celebrated as the first woman from Djibouti to produce a film. Her remarkable contributions to cinema have earned her the esteemed title of the 'first lady of Djibouti cinema.'

Her cinematic journey began with the short fiction film Laan, released in two thousand eleven. This film garnered attention and was screened at the prestigious Vues d'Afrique festival in Montreal in two thousand twelve, as well as at FESPACO in two thousand thirteen.

In two thousand seventeen, Ismaïl made her mark with her first feature film, Dhalinyaro, co-written with Alexandra Ramniceanu and Marc Wels. This groundbreaking project was a co-production involving Djibouti, France, Canada, and Somalia, and it holds the distinction of being the first feature film entirely filmed in Djibouti.