The following is a list of known foreign hostages captured in Somalia, particularly since the start of the Ethiopian intervention and the 2009–present phase of the civil war.
Operation Linda Nchi had the Kenya Defence Forces enter southern Somalia beginning in 2011. The Kenyan government declared the operation completed in March 2012, but its forces then joined AMISOM in Somalia.
Captain Phillips is a 2013 American biographical action-thriller film directed by Paul Greengrass. Based on the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking, the film tells the story of Captain Richard Phillips, an American merchant mariner who was taken hostage by Somali pirates. It stars Tom Hanks as Phillips, alongside Barkhad Abdi as pirate leader Abduwali Muse.
On 21 September 2013, four masked gunmen attacked the Westgate shopping mall, an upmarket mall in Nairobi, Kenya. There are conflicting reports about the number killed in the attack, since part of the mall collapsed due to a fire that started during the siege. The attack resulted in 71 total deaths, including 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers, and all four gunmen. Approximately 200 people were wounded in the massacre.
Watu Wote: All of Us, or simply Watu Wote is a 2017 Kenyan-German, live-action short film directed by Katja Benrath, as her graduation project at Hamburg Media School. The film is based on a December 2015 bus attack by Al-Shabaab in Mandera, Kenya. The film received critical acclaim, winning a Student Academy Award for Narrative, and received an Academy Award nomination for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards. Production faced difficulties when the crew's camera was stolen before filming had begun.
Héliopolis is a 2021 Algerian drama film directed by Djafar Gacem depicting the Sétif and Guelma massacre of 1945. It was selected as the Algerian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards but was withdrawn after the film's national premiere was canceled due to COVID-19. The filmmakers announced their intention to compete the following year. In October 2021, it was again selected as the Algerian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
The Letter is a 2019 Kenyan documentary film directed by Maia Lekow and Chris King. It was selected as the Kenyan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Hive is a 2021 Kosovan drama film written and directed by Blerta Basholli in her directorial debut. The film stars Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi and Aurita Agushi. It premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021 and became the first film in Sundance history to win all three main awards – the Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award and the Directing Award – in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. It was selected as the Kosovan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Compartment No. 6 is a 2021 drama road movie co-written and directed by Juho Kuosmanen, starring Seidi Haarla and Yuri Borisov, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Rosa Liksom.
Lingui, The Sacred Bonds is a 2021 internationally co-produced drama film written and directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun. In June 2021, the film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Chadian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. It also won IFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 52nd International Film Festival of India
Playground is a 2021 Belgian drama film directed by Laura Wandel. In June 2021, the film was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, it won the FIPRESCI Prize in the Un Certain Regard section.
The Gravedigger's Wife is a drama film, directed by Khadar Ayderus Ahmed and released in 2021. The film is a coproduction of companies from France, Somalia, Germany and Finland.
Golden Butterfly is a 2021 Tunisian drama film directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak. It was selected as the Tunisian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Zero to Hero is a 2021 Hong Kong biographical sports drama film directed by Jimmy Wan. The film is based on the true story of medal-winning Paralympian So Wa Wai, who overcame personal and physical struggles with the help of his mother to emerge a winner.
The Inner Glow is a 2020 Venezuelan drama film directed by Andrés Eduardo Rodríguez. It was selected as the Venezuelan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Gilbert Lukalia is a Kenyan actor and film director.
The Island Within is a 2020 Azerbaijani comedy-drama film written and directed by Ru Hasanov. Prize 2021 of the international jury at the Festival Nouvelles Images Persanes in Vitré (France), it was selected as the Azerbaijani entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
