Desert Flower is a 2009 German biographical film directed by Sherry Hormann. It stars Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins and Craig Parkinson, and is based on the Somali-born model Waris Dirie's autobiography.[5]

Desert Flower
Film poster
Directed bySherry Hormann
Written byWaris Dirie (book)
Sherry Hormann
Smita Bhide
Screenplay bySherry Hormann (screenwriter)[1]
Smita Bhide (script revision)[2]
Produced byPeter Hermann[3] Desert Flower Filmproductions
Dor Film Majestic Filmproduktion BSI International Invest Bac Films
StarringLiya Kebede
Sally Hawkins
Craig Parkinson
CinematographyKen Kelsch
Edited byClara Fabry
Music byMartin Todsharow
Release dates
  • 5 September 2009 (2009-09-05) (Venice Film Festival)
  • 24 September 2009 (2009-09-24) (Germany)
Running time
124 minutes
CountryGermany
LanguagesEnglish
Somali
Box office$14,631,377[4]

Plot edit

The film follows the journey of Waris Dirie (played by Liya Kebede) from a nomadic pastoralist background in Somalia to a new life and career in the West as a fashion model and activist against female genital mutilation.[5]

Cast edit

Production edit

Asked about the scene where Waris Dirie really struggles with a nude photo shoot, Liya Kebede said, "Being nude really is a problem for me, so it was actually the easiest scene for me to shoot. I definitely identified with how she was feeling."[6]

Awards edit

  • Festival de San Sebastián 2009

References edit

In-line references edit

  1. ^ WÜSTENBLUME - Credits Archived 2011-08-22 at the Wayback Machine ftvdb.bfi.org.uk, Retrieved 16 April 2019
  2. ^ "Smita Bhide - Writer/Director" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  3. ^ Peter Herrmann (film producer) at IMDb
    Retrieved 16 April 2019
  4. ^ Desert Flower Statistics, boxofficemojo.com, Retrieved 16 April 2019
  5. ^ a b "BFI | Film & TV Database | WÜSTENBLUME (2008)". BFI. 2009-04-16. Archived from the original on 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  6. ^ "Desert Flower/ Liya Kebede Interview". www.blackfilm.com. 16 March 2011. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.

Related links edit

Our goals: Waris Dirie Manifesto, desertflowerfoundation.org

External links edit