The Art of Sin

synopsis

After coming to Norway as a refugee, Ahmed Umar has become a renowned artist. Proud of his roots, his art mixes Sudanese and Western influences. In 2015, he came out as gay on Facebook, making him the first openly gay man from Sudan – this caused massive outrage in the Sudanese community. Although the 30-year dictatorship was overthrown by a revolution in 2019, homosexuality is still punishable by death in Sudan. Still, Ahmed takes a risk and goes back to Sudan to see his mother again.

Norway is also not without danger for openly gay immigrants. During a Pride parade, Ahmed is severely beaten up because of his flamboyant attitude.

In The Art of Sin, director Ibrahim Mursal has to face his own ingrained prejudice while following Ahmed’s journey. With a deeply religious background, he struggles with his cultural concept of masculinity. The Art of Sin is a journey that spans worlds and cultures, art and religion, national identities, genders, and love.

about the director

Ibrahim Mursal is a Norwegian-Somali-Sudanese filmmaker and writer. After graduating as an oil engineer, he followed his passion for film, making three short films and his award-winning debut feature documentary The Art of Sin (2020). Mursal likes to explore the concept of identity in his films, taking advantage of his diverse background in finding his stories. He received the Norwegian Art Council film grant for 2020 and was selected to be part of the esteemed Nordic Film Lab for 2020.

Mursal also works as an advisor at the non-profit and politically independent organization Sex og Politikk (IPPF Norway), which promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights. In addition, he also develops films to illuminate taboos, gender roles, expectations, culture and religion, mental health, neurodiversity, and sexual orientation in a nuanced and inviting way.