For Sama
Year: 2019
Country: UK, Syria, USA
Director: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Genre: documentary, war
Runtime: 100 min.
Age: 16+
Country: UK, Syria, USA
Director: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Genre: documentary, war
Runtime: 100 min.
Age: 16+
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 through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all 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.
Awards & Festivals:
Cannes Film Festival – Golden Eye
Academy Award nomination – Oscar for Best Documentary Feature
BAFTA Award - Best Documentary
British Independent Film Award – Best Director, Best British Independent Film, Best Documentary, Best Editing
Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival – Audience Award
European Film Award – Best European Documentary
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival – Special Jury Prize International Feature Documentary
International Emmy Award – Best Documentary
Academy Award nomination – Oscar for Best Documentary Feature
BAFTA Award - Best Documentary
British Independent Film Award – Best Director, Best British Independent Film, Best Documentary, Best Editing
Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival – Audience Award
European Film Award – Best European Documentary
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival – Special Jury Prize International Feature Documentary
International Emmy Award – Best Documentary
