Florian Elabdi

Journalist og Documentary Filmmaker

I'm a Danish journalist & documentary filmmaker residing in Copenhagen. Since 2016, I've been reporting in Europe, the Middle East, Africa & South America.

I've reported from countries such as Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia, CAR, DR Congo, Kenya, Greece, Bulgaria, Denmark, Brazil & Suriname.

My work has appeared in a wide range of Scandinavian and international media such as The Washington Post, Al Jazeera English, The Guardian, BBC, The Daily Beast, The New Humanitarian and others.

I've also worked as an investigative journalist at Danwatch, a Danish investigative media focusing on the impact of states and companies on human rights and the environment. My investigations are available in Danish here.

I also work as a fixer/interpreter/driver for international journalists and media in Denmark. I speak English, Danish, Arabic and French.

Below you'll find a selection of my work. You can also see my full CV here.

Feel free to contact me about any potential collaboration.

GHOSTS OF MORIA

We meet Khalil and Ayham in the burnt-out Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Among starving cats, squeaking rats and the heavy stench of decayed garbage, they have set up a tent and survive by scavenging metal.

In these ominous surroundings their paths have crossed for a time, and a unique friendship has been born of shared suffering. Both are from Aleppo; both were wounded in the civil war, both fled Syria; and now both are homeless after Europe’s largest refugee camp burned to the ground.

“Ghosts of Moria” is a story about how to survive in a post-apocalyptic universe, where human warmth and friendship are as precious as copper wiring —and as rare.

My first international short documentary Ghosts of Moria, co-directed by award-winning Danish Filmmaker Michael Graversen, was published by The Guardian in January 2023 and is available here.

Screenings/In competition
- Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2022
- CPH:DOX 2022 (Denmark)
- DOC NYC 2022 (United States)

- Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2022 (Greece)
- Diaspora Film Festival (South Korea) 2022
- Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2022 (Australia)
- Watch Docs 2022 (Warszawa)
- Bolton Film Festival 2022 (UK)
- DocuBaku IDFF 2022 (Azerbaijan)

- Odense International Film Festival 2022 (Denmark)
- Interactions Short Doc Festival 2022 (Serbia)

Awards & nominations

- WINNER: Best documentary (Tangier Film Festival)

- WINNER: Prix des collégiens de Jean Moulin (War on Screen)

- WINNER: Best doc (Festival international du Film Insulaire)

- Shortlist: Best Danish short doc (Danish Academy Awards)

- Shortlist: Best international short doc (Melbourne & Odense)

- Shortlist: Best international short doc director (Melbourne)

- Shortlist: Best documentary (Ekko Short Awards)

- Longlist: One World Media Award, Refugee reporting