Sharmarke Elmi from Tensta had done some stand-up comedy and was a "hypeman" for rapper Jelassi when he was offered an audition for a play at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm. Elmi needed advice from someone like-minded and called artist and filmmaker Amiin Madar to ask for advice.
I said hello, I've been offered to work with theater, is it cool or what do you think? Amiin said "What? Are you sick? What's cool? Say yes!"
Sharmarke Elmi got the role in the play "8 Square" (2023) as the younger of two alongside comedian and actor Ahmed Berhan.
Big Dreams in the Suburbs
Elmi's entry into the theater world inspired Amiin Madar to make a documentary about the experience. Both have Somali roots, a country that has theater and poetry "in its DNA" and with "Theater is the new hip hop" Madar wanted to show young people from the suburbs with artistic ambitions that theater is an alternative.
Many young people from the area have big dreams, it's just that they haven't gotten anyone to help them. I also hope that the institutions that sit on the resources will open their eyes to the fact that there is more to tell than "Snabba cash", says Amiin Madar.
At the same time, Madar highlights that the Netflix series with Evin Ahmed and Ayaan Ahmed in leading roles from the Järva area outside Stockholm was important for showing representation in the acting profession.
What was needed was that you could see someone you could relate to, but theater wasn't quite there yet, says Madar.
Hard to Enjoy Success
Sharmarke Elmi's mom would rather he took a safe job like working on a warehouse. But the play "8 Square" received positive criticism from both critics and friends from the suburbs. Teenagers at the youth center in Husby started asking how to get started with theater.
The play was even performed for the King, at the celebration of his 50 years on the throne. Yet Elmi initially had a hard time enjoying the success. It was only later when he moved on to the next project that he stopped chasing confirmation and started playing for his own sake.
No matter what you do, you can never satisfy everyone. I had so much hype, so much love, but if someone said something negative or doubted, it hurt more. I should have just turned around, sought love within myself and accepted the rest – that was what was missing, says he.
Genre: Documentary.
Biopremiere: 23 May.
Director: Amiin Madar.
Grew up in Tensta and educated in documentary film at Ölands folkhögskola. Currently studying at Konstfack in Stockholm. Made the short film "Miski and Bianca" in 2022, which premiered on SVT. "Theater is the new hip hop" is his first feature film. Madar's next project is an SVT documentary about Debattmästarna – a national rhetoric competition for high school students in Sweden's suburbs. Planned premiere before the election 2026.
Participants: Sharmarke Elmi, actor and comedian.
Grew up in Tensta. Previously played in the play "8 Square" at Stadsteatern in Husby and at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern. Also the performance "Click" (2023) at Stadsteatern in Husby. Recently toured with Riksteatern's romantic comedy "Idris & Esra" (2025).
Plans to start a stand-up club in Rinkeby. The newly released novel "Sharre" written by Seluah Alsaati is also loosely based on Elmi's life.
