Time for Ilhan

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Synopsis: Ilhan Omar, a young, hijab-wearing mother of three, takes on two formidable opponents in a highly contested race for a seat in the Minnesota State Legislature. If successful, she will become the first Somali-American lawmaker in the United States. Similar to the classic tale of David and Goliath, Omar, who is up against a 43-year incumbent, is the “outsider”- a Muslim, refugee, woman of color – seeking to challenge the party’s status quo while simultaneously defying lingering gender norms within her own Muslim community. TIME FOR ILHAN shadows Ilhan and her scrappy group of dedicated campaign staffers throughout the entire campaign’s dramatic uphill battle. A fresh and timely take on the old story of the American Dream, the film offers an inspiring, stereotype- busting portrait of the rise of one of America’s brightest new political stars, and a vision of what is truly possible for women and New Americans in politics today.

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Norah Shapiro is an award winning Minneapolis-based filmmaker who left a decade-long career as a public defender to pursue documentary filmmaking, and hasn’t looked back since. Her first feature film Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile (2014) premiered at the 2014 DOC NYC Film Festival. Additional screenings include the 2015 Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival where it received the “Best Minnesota Made Feature Documentary” award; SF DOCFEST; the Asian American International Film Festival in New York City; and others around the globe. Norah recently co-directed Minnesota 13: From Grain to Glass, about the untold story of Moonshine in Minnesota. She is also producing a new documentary about the recently solved 27-year old abduction of Jacob Wetterling, a young Minnesota boy in rural Minnesota and its far reaching impact; and Killing Mookie, about the handling of a police killing of a young african american man by the Minneapolis Police Department and the media. Ms. Shapiro received the McKnight Filmmaking Fellowship in 2012 and has received numerous production and completion funding awards from funders including the Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Minnesota Filmmakers Legacy Fund. Her freelance work has been recently featured on Fusion.net. Norah’s newest project, Time for Ilhan now in the editing phase, has received funding awards from the Jerome Foundation, and the Catapult Film Fund, with anticipated completion by early 2018.

Norah Shapiro

Norah Shapiro is an award winning Minneapolis-based filmmaker who left a decade-long career as a public defender to pursue documentary filmmaking, and hasn't looked back since. Her first feature film Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile (2014) premiered at the 2014 DOC NYC Film Festival. Additional screenings include the 2015 Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival where it received the "Best Minnesota Made Feature Documentary" award; SF DOCFEST; the Asian American International Film Festival in New York City; and others around the globe. Norah recently co-directed Minnesota 13: From Grain to Glass, about the untold story of Moonshine in Minnesota. She is also producing a new documentary about the recently solved 27-year old abduction of Jacob Wetterling, a young Minnesota boy in rural Minnesota and its far reaching impact; and Killing Mookie, about the handling of a police killing of a young african american man by the Minneapolis Police Department and the media. Ms. Shapiro received the McKnight Filmmaking Fellowship in 2012 and has received numerous production and completion funding awards from funders including the Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Minnesota Filmmakers Legacy Fund. Her freelance work has been recently featured on Fusion.net. Norah's newest project, Time for Ilhan now in the editing phase, has received funding awards from the Jerome Foundation, and the Catapult Film Fund, with anticipated completion by early 2018.

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