She comes from a large British Somali Muslim family she had no acting experience before being street cast.

[3][4] The actresses were given a story outline, but no dialogue, and worked chronologically with Gavron and the writers, Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson.

Occasionally the actresses were not even told the cameras were rolling; they naturally fell into conversations that were filmed without the director calling "action" or "cut".

Ali also was one of the youngest actors to win two British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), for 'supporting actress' and 'most promising newcomer', in February 2021.

[9] In 2023 she starred in two short films Muna which she also produced and Luna as well as her debut performance in WorldPlay at the royal court theatre which she has had critical acclaim for.