Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts’s “For Sama” sees Kateab shooting footage of the Syrian revolution and war while speaking directly to her young daughter, Sama, via narration. “Sama, I’ve made this film for you,” she says in a new trailer for the SXSW award-winning documentary. “I need you to understand what we are fighting for.”
The spot features clips of the chaos and destruction of war as well as happy personal moments for Al-Kateab and her family. We witness survivors mourning the loss of their loved ones, but we also see Al-Kateab getting married, discovering she’s pregnant, and caring for an infant Sama. Even in the most joyous moments, there is a palpable tension.
“Sama, I know you understand what’s happening,” Al-Kateab declares. “You never cry like a normal baby would. That’s what breaks my heart.” The trailer hints that the filmmaker will have to make an unimaginable decision in order to protect her child.
“This [film] isn’t just a story for me,” Al-Kateab explained in an interview with Women and Hollywood. “This is my life. A first-hand account of my experiences growing up in Aleppo during one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises. Throughout [this period], I was determined to document the horrors of this war, to show the world what was happening in the hope that the world would act.”
“For Sama” premiered earlier this year at SXSW, where it took home the Documentary Feature Competition’s Grand Jury prize and Audience Award. It screened at Hot Docs 2019 and will play as a Special Screening at Cannes.
“For Sama” opens in NY and LA July 26 and will be broadcast on PBS’ “Frontline” later in 2019.
