The tickets for the two short films - Hoos and Date from Hell - sold for $10 (£7.32) each, an expensive treat for many. Somali songwriters, storytellers, movie directors and actors to present their talent openly.' 'It's a platform that provides an opportunity to. after so many years of challenges,' theatre director Abdikadir Abdi Yusuf said before the screening, which marked the first time a Somali film had been shown at the theatre. 'This is going to be a historic night for the Somali people, it shows how hopes have been revived. Pictures suggested some social distancing measures were in place but the audience was mostly maskless. The event took place under a heavy security presence at the venue, which has been a target of suicide bombers and a base for warlords in the past. The National Theatre of Somalia in the capital, Mogadishu, showed two short films by Somali director Ibrahim CM on Wednesday night. Somalia has hosted its first film screening in 30 years, raising hopes for a cultural renewal in the war-ravaged country.