Hannah Yohannes is an Eritrean director and screenwriter based in Toronto. She is well known for her work on her critically acclaimed and award-winning short film, Home Away, which has been featured in Issa Rae’s Short Film Sunday Series and won the Shaw Media Fearless Female Director Award.
Films
Hiding At A Funeral
Watch TrailerNot currently available to stream
Currently screening at select film festivals
(2024)
In the short film Hiding At A Funeral, chaos ensues when four siblings find themselves in a precarious situation during their grandmother's somber funeral. With the house overrun by bustling Somali aunties and mourning relatives, the siblings concoct a daring plan to escape the solemnity: hiding away upstairs. Hiding At A Funeral is currently nominated for the Best Comedy Short Film Award at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival.
The Crown
Stream on YouTube
(2023)
Two sisters have their traditional hair ritual until a sudden decision leads to a dilemma.
Manic State
Stream on YouTube
(2022)
Frenchy invites her ex, Teresa, for a special date to smooth things over with her but the date takes a different turn for the worse.
Kiin
Stream on YouTube
(2021)
It’s hard enough for Kiin to hide her burgeoning stand-up comedy career from her meddlesome Somali family, but layer on her grandmother’s matchmaking, a chaotic Thanksgiving dinner and an intro to Isaac, a suitor from the old country, and things instantly become a lot more challenging. Kiin is forced to go to outrageous lengths to derail her family’s plans, while also preparing for the most important showcase of her career.
Home Away
Stream on Vimeo
(2013)
Home Away is a dramatic short film about 18-year-old Sabrina who decides to keep her pregnancy and finds herself disowned by her family. Desperate, Sabrina moves into a youth shelter, where she is surprised to learn a new meaning of family through the embrace of people she once considered strangers. This film is based on a true story.
