BHS
FOR SAMA

FOR SAMA

Competition

WAAD AL-KATEAB AND EDWARD WATTS

FOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life during five years of uprising in Aleppo, Syria, as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all the while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice – whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much. The film is the first feature documentary by Emmy award-winning filmmakers, Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts.

Producers: Waad al-Kateab, George Waldrum, Nevine Mabro, Siobhan Sinnerton, Ben de Pear, Raney Aronson-Rath, Dan Edge

Production company: ITN Productions, Channel 4 News, Channel 4, PBS FRONTLINE