The Perfect Story
| The Perfect Story | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Michelle Shephard |
| Written by | Michelle Shephard |
| Starring | Bryn Hughes Lea Marin Michelle Shephard |
| Cinematography | Wes Legge |
| Edited by | Nick Hector |
| Music by | Justin Small Ohad Benchetrit |
Production company | Frequent Flyer Films |
| Distributed by | National Film Board of Canada |
Release date |
|
Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The Perfect Story is a 2022 Canadian documentary film directed by Michelle Shephard.[1] The film revisits Shephard's 2010 news story about Ismael Abdulle, a young Somali man whose hand and foot were amputated by Al-Shabaab militants. Her initial reportage sparked a campaign to get him transported to another country as a refugee. However, the documentary explores the ethical dilemmas Shephard faced when Abdulle later admitted he had lied about key details of the incident, revealing he was guilty of robbery as Al-Shabaab had claimed, in contrast to his previous claims that the amputation was punishment for refusing the join the group.[2][3]
Background
[edit]In June 2009 in Mogadishu, Al-Shabaab publicly amputated the right hand and left foot of young four young men - Ismael Khalif Abdulle, Abdulqadir Abdi Dilahow, Ali Mohamed Gedi, and Jeylani Mohamed Had[4][5][6][a] who were accused of theft.[7][8] Ismael Khalif Abdulle was only 17 years old at the time he was amputated.[9] He gave an interview to Canadian journalist for the Toronto Star, Michelle Shephard, and told her that al-Shabab tried to recruit him but he refused and told them he wanted to stay in school instead. She did not try to verify his story, and uncritically reported his version of events in the Toronto Star.[10] That version of events was subsequently reported in major newspapers, including The Guardian.[9] However, Abdulle later recanted some parts of his story, and admitted that Al-Shabab's accusations that he was robbing people was true.[3]
Reception
[edit]The film premiered at the 2022 Calgary International Film Festival,[2] where it won the DGC Canadian Documentary Award.[11] It was also screened at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto as the opening film of the annual Doc Soup fall screening series,[12] and had its television premiere on TVO on October 18.
The film received two nominations at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, for Best Documentary Program and Best Original Music in a Documentary (Ohad Benchetrit, Justin Small).[13]
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ The spelling of the names of the four men varies significantly among sources.
References
[edit]- ^ Mullen, Pat (2022-10-05). "The Perfect Story Review: Or, When the Story Changes". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b Boyne, Emma (2022-09-22). "New film premiering Saturday at CIFF uncovers the ethical dilemma of relationships and reporting". Calgary Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b Michelle, Shephard (23 September 2022). "Ismael was just 17 when I told the story that made him a hero in the eyes of the world. Years later he made a shocking revelation". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Pflanz, Mike (2009-06-25). "Somali Islamists cut off hands, feet of thieves". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ "Somali Islamists cut off hands, feet of thieves". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ "Amputations carried out on four young men in Somalia". Amnesty International. 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ "Islamists Amputate Limbs of 4 Somalis Accused of Theft". The New York Times. 25 June 2009. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Shephard, Michelle (27 November 2011). "Somalia's maimed 'other' boys struggle to make a new life". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ a b Rice, Xan (2010-10-20). "Somali schoolboy tells of how Islamists cut off his leg and hand". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Donovan, Vincent (2022-09-23). "Donovan Vincent: We should have worked harder to get the Ismael Abdulle story right". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Toombs, Aryn (2022-09-28). "Calgary International Film Festival jury prize goes to I Like Movies". LiveWire Calgary. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ Mullen, Pat (2022-08-09). "The Perfect Story to Kick Off 22nd Doc Soup Season". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ Mullen, Pat (2023-02-22). "2023 Canadian Screen Award Nominations for Documentary". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
External links
[edit]- The Perfect Story at IMDb
- Watch The Perfect Story on the NFB website
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