Mo Harawe

Mo Harawe (born 1992) is a Somali-Austrian filmmaker. His debut feature film, The Village Next to Paradise, was selected for the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.^[2]

Mo Harawe
Mo Harawe in 2025
Born	1992 (age 32–33)[1] Mogadishu, Somalia

Early life and education

Harawe was born in Mogadishu and attended art school in Somalia.^[1] He later studied visual communication and film at Kunsthochschule Kassel.^[2]

Career

In 2009, Harawe moved to Austria and began a career in the film industry.^[1] He released a string of short films throughout the 2010s and early 2020s. His 2024 debut feature-length project, The Village Next to Paradise, was selected to screen at that year's Cannes Film Festival.^[2]

Filmography

Year	Title	Notes	Ref.
2012	Wait a minute	Short film	[3]
2014	The other side	Short film	[3]
2015	Identity	Short film	[3]
2016	One last moment	Short film	[3]
2018	The story of the polar bear that went to Africa	Short film	[3]
2019	1947	Short film	[3]
2020	Life on the Horn	Short film	[3]
2022	Will My Parents Come to See Me	Short film	[3]
2024	The Village Next to Paradise	—	[2]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2020	Locarno International Film Festival	International Competition	Life on the Horn	Special mention	[2]
	Uppsala International Film Festival	Grand Prix		Nominated	[4]
		Uppsala Award in Memory of Ingmar Bergman		Won	[4]
2021	Carthage Film Festival	Best Narrative Short Film		Won	[4]
	Dokufest	Best International Short		Nominated	[4]
	Glasgow Short Film Festival	Best Short		Nominated	[4]
	VIS Vienna Independent Shorts	Youth Jury Award for Best FIctional ÖW Film		Won	[4]
	Norwegian Short Film Festival	Best International Short Film		Nominated	[4]
2022	Berlin International Film Festival	Golden Bear for Best Short Film	Will My Parents Come to See Me	Nominated	[5]
	Dokufest	Best International Short		Won	[5]
	European Film Awards	Best European Short Film		Nominated	[5]
	Festival Cinema Africano, Asia e America Latina	Best African Short Film		Won	[5]
	German Short Film Award	Outstanding Short Film - Under 30 Minutes Length		Won	[5]
	VIS Vienna Independent Shorts	Best Austrian Short Film		[5]
2023	Austrian Film Award	Best Short Film		Won	[5]
	Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival	International Jury Grand Prize		Won	[5]
	London Short Film Festival	Best International Short Film		Won	[5]
2024	Cannes Film Festival	Un Certain Regard	The Village Next to Paradise	Pending	[2]
		Caméra d'Or		Pending	[2]