In her short time in the U.S. Congress, Ilhan Omar, the nation's first Somali Muslim Legislator, has been constantly in the news. Now see for yourself where she came from and who she really is in the new documentary which follows her journey as she seeks to redifine politics in America.
On November 8, 2016, a young, hijab-wearing mother-of-three named Ilhan Omar made history, becoming the first Somali Muslim woman to be elected to state office in America. She was hailed by the New York Times as, "one of the bright lights in the post-election darkness," and the documentary film "TIME FOR ILHAN" intimately chronicles her hard-fought campaign for State Representative in Minnesota's Senate District 60B, home to the nation's largest Somali community. 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 - who seeks to challenge the party's status quo while simultaneously defying the gender norms within her own Muslim community.
A fresh take on the old story of the American Dream, an Emmy Award winning documentary TIME FOR ILHAN shadows Ilhan and her scrappy group of dedicated campaign staffers throughout the entire campaign's dramatic uphill battle. The film offers an inspiring, stereotype-busting portrait of a rising political star and a vision of what is truly possible for women and New Americans in politics today.

A Film by Norah Shapiro ; Flying Pieces Production

Related Documentaries

United States of Hate: Muslims under Attack
A Somali in America
Somalia: The Forgotten Story
Black Power: America's Armed Resistance
Black in Trump's America
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Obama: What Happened to Hope
The War on Voting Rights
Portland's Battleground