Culture
For Sama, an shocking story about the Syrian civil war
“The heroin it’s her,” said a lady so moved after watching FOR SAMA at the Swiss Premiere on Sunday.
She was talking about Waad Al-Kateab a young Syrian film director, who came to present her first film here in Zurich.
The film talks about the Syrian civil war and how she tries to keep her daughter alive Sama. Sama was born in the city of Aleppo who was bombarded by the Russians and the Syrian regime daily for years. Waad Al Kateab is a journalist, loves her country but she feels it is her responsibility to show the world what is happening.That is a part of her history, of history in general.
Her husband is a doctor and tries to save lifes every day. He works in the last hospital of the city and has to operate on wounded, thousands in less than 20 days. The couple flees to Turkey but the desire to be back home is stronger to do something, to help, to fight. They go back.
For Sama credits Waad al Kateab
In 2016 the city of Aleppo was completely evacuated with busses. This is at that time that the director started finishing her film. At the end of the movie, Waad Al Kateab deeply moved herself, wiped her tears and came back on the stage to talk to the public, accompanied with Anita Streule from Amnesty International.
Fragile in a way but very strong and courageous, she sat and thanked the public to have stayed till the end.
She had to leave her beloved city and lost many people she loved. Her film helped her a great deal but she still struggles every time and becomes emotional each time she watches it.
“We were expecting everything, to be killed, to lose everyone but never thought we would be forced to flee in that way.”
Being a refugee in a country far away from Syria is not something she had wished. Now she lives in London with her husband and daughter Sama, who is doing well. The couple had a second daughter.
Waad al-Kateab on the green carpet at the Zurich Film festival – credits ZFF
The happiness to be alive is there but one feels her pains when she mentions loosing her home, her country, her roots.
She wants the public to spread awareness how people are still getting killed today.
Is there still hope? Yes she said, “you don’t know how you can find it, but you will.” She found it when the infant baby she was filming opened her eyes after such a long time and she thought she was reporting a case of another child being killed by the Syrian regime. That moment she said in a heartbreaking voice gave her hope for the rest of her life.
Waad-Al-Kateab’s wish now is that people help, the governments, the teachers, the mothers, the medias and spread the word that the killing is still happening. “You may think it is something really small, but small things all together will make something really big.”
For SAMA – Credits WAAD AL KATEAB
That evening the film director showed her courage and spreaded her strength everywhere around her.
Last screen will be on Sunday at Filmpodium at 1pm
The film is co-directed by Edward Watts, won the main award at SXSM this year and was also screened in Cannes.