Ahmed Alnoor is a filmmaker who immigrated to Winnipeg from Sudan at the age of four. He is part of Winnipeg’s Black Film Collective, which advocates for the creation of black prairie film art.

Alnoor says his first short film, “Stole Youth,” is as much his story as it is the culmination of the voices of the Black Film Collective.

Joanne Roberts, CityNews reporter: This career that you embarked on, you told me that it started when you were very young.

Ahmed Alnoor: “Most of my earliest memories from when (my mother and I) first immigrated to Canada are watching The Movie Channel with my mother. Subconsciously I use it to learn English, but then I just enjoy this quality time together and the magic of movies. … We always love to get together and watch movies together, so it’s a lifelong passion that has slowly evolved into this creative pursuit.

JR: What attracted you to films?

AA: “I think that for lack of a better term, you know, you have to rely on cliché, but there is a magic in films that was able to transport us (my mother and me) no matter what. Or. When we didn’t have all the resources in the world at our disposal, watching The Movie Channel could take us almost anywhere and we would go on all these adventures with these characters. The connection that we were able to establish with what we saw on the screen also (reinforced) this little bond of our own, this quality time that we were able to share. It’s very difficult to put your finger on it, but you know it when you see it.

JR: Tell me about this film you created.

AA: “I have just screened my first short film. It’s called “Stole Youth”… It’s a simple story about this unassuming thief who comes to terms with all his emotions following his first robbery, which caught my attention. I’ve always loved heist movies. Having an all-black cast, a majority-black crew and all the ways that we’re overlooked, especially in the film industry, and getting that back, having some autonomy over our stories and being able to share that in the story was something truly special. for me as a writer/director. Everyone who participated really resonated with them. Their passion also helped build the story.

“We submitted our application to the (University of Winnipeg) Film Fest. It was the first film festival I went to and was accepted to. It was such a special experience to have my first screening, to see a project that I had made from a simple idea that I had in mind. Write it down. Bring everyone together. Spending all night shooting it, seeing it come to life and then performing it on the big screen with an audience. Getting all their feedback in real time was super, super enriching and inspiring and I can’t wait to do the next one.

JR: I think it’s a huge achievement. Do you think this industry has opened up to creatives who, 10 or 20 years ago, might not have been able to do what you do?

AA: “Absolutely. When I was very young, I thought that maybe when I grew up I would get into film and that could be something. Part of this was definitely due to my own self-doubt and insecurity. It’s still surreal to even call myself a filmmaker now, but the way I’ve interacted with the industry over the last year and seeing all the groups like the Black Screen Office, the Black Film Collective, all the different ways that we have a new voice in this industry, we’re aware of the imbalances in how stories are told and how they’re told. I’m so tired of seeing black people suffer in big movies. There aren’t enough dark romantic comedies, you know what I mean?

“So in these conversations, we were recently on the (Black Screen Office) tour where they were stopping in major cities across Canada and were in a room here in Winnipeg, surrounded by other black people in the industry, talking of the same things and standing up for the change we want to see is very, very inspiring.

JR: Does that mean you don’t think the industry is just opening up in Winnipeg – it’s opening up everywhere?

AA: “Ideally! You know, from your lips to the ears of God. The conversations that are happening aren’t just happening here. … There is this united front that I hope for a lot and we will see how it goes. Things seem to be on an upward trajectory and that gives me a lot of hope.

JR: You also won some awards yesterday (for Stole Youth). …What does this mean to you?

AA: “Stole Youth won the People’s Choice Award at the University of Winnipeg Film Festival. We also won Best Cinematographer for our cinematographer, Cyril Karwa, and it’s surreal. My head is still in the clouds, I can’t believe it. It was just a shot in the dark, you know. Even finishing it was a huge, herculean effort with so many different people. It’s a miracle that this film is here and has been seen by people and to have won several awards in a film festival with a jury and all the bells and whistles, it’s huge for us. This is huge for everyone at the Black Film Collective.