Synopsis
Trailers
Reviews (160)
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C
I’m gonna send 100 DVDs of this to anyone complaining about having to stay at home.
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{
“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.” -Gandhi, I feel so empty… The best documentaries explore both individual and structural concerns and For Sama is one of the best documentaries I’ve seen at showing the individual costs of large scale structural violence. Many people, Americans perhaps among the worst of them, have trouble humanizing something like a rebellion abroad or war unless they have experienced it themselves (live model) or through media (symbolic model). For Sama is an important film for giving voice to those in difficult situations but for helping outsiders get a glimpse of what…
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B
“Sometimes we cry blood.” Arguably the doc of the year. A devastating blend of the personal and the journalistic that is unsparing and literally painful. I was on the verge of tears and breathing heavy for about an hour. Major filmmaking.
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D
Towards the beginning of Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama” — a bracingly horrific yet resiliently beautiful documentary about al-Kateab’s experience as a woman, a patriot, and a mother living in the ruined heart of Aleppo during the ongoing war in Syria — a few medical volunteers are seen messing around in a hospital during a break from the shelling. They’re young and smiling and you would never know what they were living through if not for the blasted concrete on the floor and the wet blood on their clothes. A few years earlier, they were regular university students pursuing regular careers; now, a normal day consists of avoiding bombs and burying friends. Why don’t they leave? How could…
414 6 -
W
In 2011, Aysha Taryam wrote: “At times it seems as if the whole world has become a refugee and the few of us, who are privileged enough to wake up to the sound of an alarm clock instead of a siren, those of us who are enveloped by a veil of safety many of us fail to appreciate, have become desensitised to the migrating numbers, to the images of the dead, shrugging them away as a collective misery that this ailing part of the world must endure.” Those words resonant so sharply after watching Waad Al-Kateab’s For Sama: a documentary which reminds its audience of the horrors the Syrian civil war has wrought for civilians caught in the crossfire. It’s one of the most harrowing and emotional documentaries I’ve ever seen. It’s not easy to watch, but it must be seen for us to know the plight caused by this injustice and to fight for peace wherever it is denied.
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D
For Sama is an act of witness, a document of events that cannot be dramatised. It is the most personal form of history. It turns film itself into memory. It is a letter to a child born in war. For Sama takes us right to the heart of the conflict in Syria. It is about a filmmaker by circumstance, which is perhaps the most necessary voice of all. For Sama captures desperation and chaos. People try to establish routines and live life as normal, but there is no time to feel anything. The war is so normalised that babies no longer cry at the sound of bombs. How we can justify a world like this? For Sama captures the pain…
196 19 -
A
This is a very personal film about how one woman went through the experiences of college and giving birth to her daughters during the traumatic events that occurred in Aleppo, Syria. Unfortunately, I had a horrible experience with the screeners that are really not expandable; there are two sizes: too small and too big. That didn’t affect the overall rating, of course, but it did affect the overall experience.
80 4 -
M
For Sama is a chilling global call for help. A deeply personal look at how war can destroy everything. Powerfully graphic, this hits home and should be seen by all. No politics, the message is for family, life and freedom.
95 2 -
E
A very humanizing look at the horrors of the Syrian refugee struggle
85 1 -
M
This was one of the hardest documentaries to watch for me, if not THE hardest. Heartbreaking from beginning to end. I honestly don’t know how Waad found the strength to get through all of this and to still have hope.
152 -
E
“I don’t want to die, I want to live.” “I keep filming.” Dear Sama, your parents are incredible, brave, and amazing people. The existence of this film is a testament to the strength and fortitude of the people. “This is not about the place, places are about their people.” This is an intense, devastating, and crushing documentary film made by Waad al-Kateab. I’ve never seen anything like it, and it should be required viewing for all people, to gain an understanding and to take a small glimpse into the lives of those in Syria during the past few years. As a middle-class American, national news and world news blend together seamlessly every day — it becomes overwhelming, and the constant consumption…
270 6 -
1
Schach, aus dem persischen Wort für „Schah“ – „der König“ unteranderem darum, ist Schach unter dem Begriff „Das Spiel der Könige“ bekannt. Die Schwarzblende schwindet. Licht hüllt es ein. Ein grellgraues Licht. Die dagegen aufbegehrenden Farben absorbierendes Licht. Wie Kalk zu hunderttausenden Tonen umhüllt das einst das Leben umarmende Gestein hochgestiegen wie Wolkenmassive zum Himmel die kopfeingezogene Stadt ein. Darin, mitten unter dem pulverisierten Gestein des darin beherbergenden Lebens, spielen zwei alte, ihr grauverhangener, bis zur Brust ragender Bart sie kitzelnd, ihre Stirn vor Falten ihrer Gedankengänge gekräuselt, zerfurcht, zu Tälern geformt, sie umringt von Zuschauern ihres hier sich ihnen bietenden Fluchtweges aus der Trauer um sie herum, das Spiel der Könige, Schach. Während sie spielen, hauen die Gewalten der…
96 9 -
A
i was 25 minutes in when i wanted to just stop watching the documentary. the footage is beyond painful, a form of footage which cannot be exaggerated. its difficult from beginning to end. the film was created an unpleasant memory devoted to their child. the brutality found all throughout the film are all evidence. this is a form of treasury through a film. this documentary gives me such an odd feeling. 37 minutes you hear a bombing yet the child…
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Dday 8 月 12, 2026
ماقدرت اكمله من كمية الألم. الله يرحم من مات ويجعلهم في جنات النعيم وينتقم من بشار ومن معه في الدنيا قبل الآخرة
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T
Guardalo e scopri di essere molto fortunato
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D
9.8/10. “My first baby, Sama. Her name is meaning the sky. Sky we love, sky we want. Without air forces. Without bombing. Sky with sun, with clouds. With the birds.” RANDOM FILM CHALLENGE: DAY 4 How symbolic that I randomly got to watch this film on the day Bashar got sentenced to die. What a monster along with everyone who aided him in destroying so many lives and ruining others. This was such a beautiful, tragic documentary that shows the…
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M
أنا جلست لفترة و أنا تائه أمام شاشة التلفاز لا أجد وصفا لما شاهدته ، واقع الحرب يا ناس مرعب و التضحيات التي قدمت من الناس الذين قرروا البقاء صراحة لا أرى نفسي أنني على مقدرة من اتخاذ قرار مشابه ، يوميات أطفال و حواراتهم التي كان يجب ان تكون عن الحلوى و الألعاب كانت عن صوت الصاروخ والقصف ألا سحقا للحرب و سحقا لمن كان سببا فيها و سببا في ضياع بلد و أمة .
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♡
“the sound of our songs was louder than the bombs falling outside.” “this is the road we’re taking. it’s a long road, full of danger and fear, but freedom waits for us at the end.” “the silence makes you feel the city is dead.” children dying, families under rubble, kids naming “cluster bombs” when they should never have to know what that means. young brothers holding their youngest sibling who has just been killed in an airstrike. blooming flowers amidst…
12 4 -
F
Le 15 mars 2011, la guerre civile éclate en Syrie. Waad al-Kateab, alors étudiante à l’université d’Alep, décide de faire de sa caméra la témoin des atrocités perpétrées par le régime de Bachar el-Assad. Du siège de la ville aux bombardements meurtriers, en passant par l’exil des derniers habitants, Pour Sama retrace avec véracité le quotidien de centaines de milliers de Syriens entre 2011 et 2016. Citoyenne, épouse, mère : Waad al-Kateab cumule ainsi plusieurs casquettes, avec toujours le même objectif : raconter la guerre de l’intérieur.
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G
Heartbreaking documentary first hand account from a Syrian journalist of the Syrian civil war – captures the conflict from the start so rawly to the end- heartbreaking, but a must watch to understand what’s goes on in this world. The journalist records this all through her own eyes with her phone it gives a real realistic dimension to the documentary.
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B
Great movie
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M
I put off watching this movie for well over 5 years, I just didn’t think I would have the stomach to see anymore of what was happening in Syria. But since the fall of the regime I decided to watch it. Feels very weird to give such a harrowing movie 5/5, but this isn’t just a movie, it’s evidence of war crimes and that within itself is extremely important. It’s a movie of how powerful and strong communities are, it’s…
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V
I have so much to say about this documentary….the panic of the blue lifeless baby attached to the mother’s womb and chest compressed for a minute by the doctors before the baby started to breathe…the photos of tropical islands hung to cover windows that are lined with sandbags to prevent bomb shell shrapnel injuring anyone inside the house…. Waad, Hamza, Sama … the strength and humanity of these individuals is incredible, risking themselves close to the regime soldiers and still…
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P
Histoire bouleversante ou l’humain revient au centre
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M
C’est l’un des « reportage » les plus marquants que j’ai vu, comment on peut faire ça à son propre peuple c’est tellement révoltant. Je compte meme plus les scenes assises à sangloter le cœur brisé, quand tu vois de telles atrocités tu peux que relativiser sur les galères futile qui t’arrives au quotidien. Je pense carrément que ce film est d’utilité publique et ce afin de mieux comprendre ce que peuvent vivre ces pauvres gens et tenter de les aider comme on peut même si malheureusement c’est pas demain la veille qu’on va faire bouger les choses mais bon c’est aussi ça le cinema.
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L
Fyfan för krig fyfan för att bomba sjukhus fyfan för alla som ser till att detta hänt och fortsätter att hända
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M
Importante, mas difícil de assistir
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L
One of if not the best documentary I’ve ever seen. She didn’t hide anything, and that’s what people need to see.
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H
Immersion poignante
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K
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R
Watching this with a newborn adds a whole other perspective. Stop wars.
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K
Je peux rien dire devant un tel niveau de violence, de tristesse et de courage. C’est un niveau de résilience hors de quoi que ce soit que j’ai pu connaître. Je ne peux rien juger, je ne peux qu’être empathique face à ce film documentaire. Des visions d’horreur s’enchaînent tout du long et la moindre scène de bonheur te fait fondre en larme spontanément comme pour te rappeler qu’il reste encore de la vie et qu’elle en vaut la peine.…
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D
وثائقي ثقيل نفسيًا وصعب على الشخص انه يتحمله ما اخفي عليكم اني كنت اخذ بريك كل عشر دقايق منه احاول استجمع نفسي وارجع اكمله لان هذا مب تمثيل ما فيه مخرجين وراء الكاميرا يغيرون لك الاحداث او يخففون من قسوتها هذا واقع عاشوه اخواننا المسلمين في سوريا سابقا وما زالوا يعيشونه اهل فلسطين وغيرهم من المستضعفين اليوم نسأل الله ان ينصرهم ويحفظهم ويفرج عنهم يارب والله يافيه مشاهد واحداث العقل يرفضها من وحشيتها وش هالعقل اللي بيتحمل منظر الامهات وهم…
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L
خلاني اشوف العالم بنظرة مختلفه اشوف زوايا بالأصح بنظره أوسع وأعمق احس واشعر واشوف الناس بالخرب بسوريا بحلب كيف عايشين المخاوف والالام الي بعيونهم الدم الجروح الخوف الدموع كل شي خلاني احس وأقدر واحترم السوريين المناضلين الي رفضو يطلعون من بلدهم كرامتهم ذكرياتهم بلدهم ماتخلى عن شي بسهوله اقدر. اقدر الافلام اي توسع مداركي وعاطفتي ونظرتي و for sama هو واحد منهم.
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H
gerçekten güzel ama ağladım ben hafif travmamsı.
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S
A testament of human beings. Human beings who feel, love, hurt, live, and die. Through Aleppo, Waad shows us the world. 🇸🇾
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A
The sounds of our song were louder than the bombs falling
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B
Impossible to write anything of interest regarding this doc here on Letterboxd. It’s a crucial piece of journalism and relevant to the conflict in Syria, modern wars and life as a parent. You can stream this free on PBS and you SHOULD stream this on PBS asap
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U
Must watch
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D
Если ад и существует на земле, то определенно там, где война. Это не жизнь
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P
it’s hard to believe the world we live in is real. resilience might be the single most important human quality this film also sets really good questions about bringing life into this world. does one do it because they’re pressured by social respect, because of the necessity to have a reason to go on, or because of personal pride? and also is it cruel and selfish to force someone to live in a world of decay?
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İ
“Dünyada yüzlerce milliyet, din, dil, ırk, mezhep olabilir. Ama sadece iki çeşit insan var: Vicdanı olanlar, vicdanı olmayanlar.”
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N
haaa semoga sekarang suriah udah betulan aman supaya orang-orang sana bisa lanjutin hidupnya dengan damai 🙁
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O
This one is very hard to watch i cried so much but it’s also so powerful
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G
after watching this a girl on tik tok argued that bringing children in the world during wartime is absolutely unethical. i didn’t know how to feel about that sentiment and honestly still don’t fully agree with her. obviously times like theses are no a place for kids but at the same time not having children also seems impossible. my goal by watching the documentary was to kind of make up my mind but this is not as easy of a option to form clearly
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C
“It’s a long road, full of danger and fear, but freedom awaits us at the end. Come, let’s walk it together” “Her name meaning ‘the sky’. Sky we love, sky we want. Without air forces, without bombing. Sky with sun, with clouds, with birds” one of the best documentaries ever!!
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H
Syrian Tragedy documentary about Aleppo siege during the Syrian Revolution , It’s a heartbreaking .
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M
le film est d’une tristesse absolue et il est hyper important, merci waad d’avoir tout filmé on doit ouvrir nos yeux
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S
As someone who’s merely witnessed such tragic and criminal events like Bashar’s siege on Aleppo unfold from social media or articles this was a sobering yet beautiful capture of such a thing down to the visceral level. Not for the faint of heart, but a necessary revelation nonetheless.
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C
The geographical lottery is the biggest factor to pre determine your chances of success and happiness. Heartbreaking to see what “regular” day to day choices look like, in a war torn family/community. “Somewhere in Sudan, Palestine, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq or Congo, there is someone smarter than me. They are more disciplined, more resilient, and hold more potential in their single finger than I do in my entire career. The only difference? I am siting in a train browsing the Internet…
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P
One of the toughest things I’ve ever watch. This people actually deserves all good in the world. What they did, how brave they were, all of that was not in vein. I trully admire them. Devastating.
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T
Posso sentir a veracidade sobre o documentário chamado For Sama, documentar é estar lá vendo aquilo acontecer, e sofrer junto, de uma maneira pode ser perigoso, mas essa é a tarefa do documentarista, que pega cada detalhe, mas também alguns momentos felizes, que são guardados no coração como uma esperança.
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JJeriah Everts 6 月 20, 2026
“Her name is meaning “the sky.” Sky we love, sky we want. Without air forces; without bombing. Sky with sun, with clouds, with birds.” God cannot forgive the westerners, regimes and dictators that have created this mess that these people are in. We are so used to have the feeling of a governmental safety net, that we can’t phatom how the lives of these people are like. They still remain numbers on a spreadsheet. The most heartbreaking thing in this…
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AAmelia 6 月 18, 2026
Watched this for politics and it was incredible yet heartbreaking; a must watch documentary to understand the depth of what happened and still happens in Syria
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T
genuinely heartbreaking and beautifully made
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T
Attrocious. Hardest watch maybe ever? Despicable shit people do to one another. If people in power watched this would it change anything, or are they so detatched it would produce a null effect?
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F
speechless
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F
Fuck tyrants, fuck dictators and Viva la revolution! The amount of absurdity, spontaneity in this movie is crazy! The amount of pain, tragedy that was showed is beyond comprehension! “Sometimes we cry blood” Documentaries are always the best way to tell a story ! يلعن روحك يا حافظ
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OOdettethrewup 6 月 16, 2026
watched
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W
I cry everytime…
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D
I don’t know how to write about For Sama without feeling like I’m breaking something. It’s not a film about war in the abstract sense. It’s about what it feels like when Bashar al-Assad’s war turns your home into something unrecognizable, when hospitals become targets, when children learn the sound of bombs before they learn the sound of peace. There are moments where I had to pause just to breathe. Not because it’s “sad,” but because it feels unbearable that…
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B
No child should die.
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I
Documentary by a young Syrian woman, former econ major turned “citizen journalist”, recording the “Battle of Aleppo”, who gets married, has a daughter and considers leaving the country. Produced by PBS Frontline and Brit Channel 4 News and ITV, this “documentary” was co- directed by a Syrian national operating under a pseudonym (“to protect her family” and using it to this day although she fled Syria in 2016). The other director is a Channel 4/ITV hack. In it’s day it…
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K
i keep filming pas du tout copié d’autres reviews mais en sah cela représente bien le docu-film
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Bbelle gosse du 85 6 月 11, 2026
Wow… Al-Kateab films because it gives her purpose, it is for her daugher, for Sama. It makes the unbearable legible, and because it insists that the people around her the dead, the wounded, the young men laughing in the rubble existed. There is something deep in the idea that the camera is not just a recording device but a way of being present. The young people in the film are smiling even among the wreckage; they are writing the word…
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M
very hard to watch
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T
Horrific human experience that unfortunately some people are still going through. It takes an immense amount of courage to choose to stay and document it through the eyes of a parent bringing a child into war. Waad Al-Kateab, your bravery, resilience, and determination moved me!! ❤️🥺 Waad Al-Khateab: Sama. You’re the most beautiful thing in our life. But what a life I’ve brought you into. You didn’t choose this. Will you ever forgive me? This is deeply personal. I almost…
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CCas 6 月 7, 2026
وثائقي سوري حميمي وموجع جداً تلتقطه أم لتوثيق سنوات الحرب والحياة والحب في حلب من أجل ابنتها الصغيرة.
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G
Harrowing
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R
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J
Waad al-Kateab filme sa fille dans Alep assiégée et chaque anniversaire devient une preuve contre ceux qui parlent de dommages collatéraux.
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D
“neden kaldığımızı, neden öylece çekip gitmediğimizi anlamanı istiyorum…” sinema olmayı değil sadece hayatta kalmayı amaçlayan bir filmi nasıl inceleriz ki? waad el-kateab’ın bu belgesel filmi halep’in tüm yıkıntılarının arasında anneden kızına yazılmış bir aşk mektubu gibi. tepelerine bombalar yağarken hayatın aşkın evliliğin ve hatta doğumun nasıl devam ettiğine dair çok çiğ, nefes nefese bir kayıt.
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L
💔
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K
Wherever they went, they left death and destruction in their wake, as they always have.
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L
Devastating!
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R
Too sentimental, too long.
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T
As an emigrant myself, living far from my family, I find it difficult to watch content about ongoing wars. Reading the synopsis on MUBI, I felt I should watch this film anyway, but after the first depiction of injured children, I hesitated to continue. Somehow, I did. Despite the incredibly hard moments to watch, I found the film unbelievably powerful and deeply moving. I am shattered by the strength of the filmmaker and her husband. Going through the worst imaginable…
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S
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A
um retrato real e chocante da guerra com muito sofrimento, resiliência, luta, amor e esperança
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C
Unvorstellbar wie sich die Menschen vor Ort fühlen müssen, wenn ich schon vor dem Bildschirm bei jedem Bombeneinschlag zusammenzucke. Auch wenn es schwer fällt darf man hier nicht wegschauen, sondern muss sich den Mut und die Hoffnung aus diesem Zeitdokument in seinem Herz aufbewahren.
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E
“i can smell aleppo on her skin”
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A
💔
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B
Mental
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P
Als Zeitdokument liefer For Sama bemerkenswerte Bilder aus den Anfängen des Syrienkrieges und wie sich eine in Extremfällen eine Solidargemeinschaft bilden kann.
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A
Lloré mucho
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Llitekatt 5 月 21, 2026
No words
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D
La puta madre
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C
There’s so much positive I could say about this film, but what really got me was how the images and clips from this are the same as those from Gaza. It’s the same brutality, the same dust, the same children crying and bleeding and dead. Same playbook by both the Russian government and the Israeli government. The same that’s been used probably for decades and centuries, we just didn’t always have the technology to document it like this before. I…
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M
from a film perspective not everything clicked for me, but it’s such a personal and brave narrative that it would be difficult to look at it critically I wonder what Sama is doing now
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L
A reminder that war has names, faces, stories, homes and families attached to it.
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G
What a perfect way to finish up watching the 1001 movies you must see before you die list. It’s a documentary echoing so many themes that popped up in this list. It’s a handheld film with no choreographed shots (ok there’s a couple drone shots). It’s just capturing life, death, pain, laughter, sadness, choices, existing, love. There’s evil out there. There’s tragedy that happens. But we must stand up and fight for what is right, and kind, and caring. There…
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G
Fuldstændig fucked up film, og sindssygt at folk involveret ikke er straffet på nogen måde. Danske retssystem skal Lock ik
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Llies ⋆˚꩜｡ 5 月 11, 2026
one of the most sad true stories ever
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A
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M
Documental extremadamente necesario. Cada toma se siente como un pedido urgente al mundo para detener la destrucción absurda de una guerra. Es imposible terminarla sin un nudo en la garganta. Incluida en The weight of war
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B
Deze documentaire is hartverscheurend, maar zo nodig!
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B
insanlar üzüntüden kendi yüreklerine indirebilir mi arastırması yapıyorsunuz ve deneginiz benim… aglamaktan helak oldum bugün, gözlerimin kenarları kendi gözyasımdan sızlamaya basladı. Allah bize bir daha milli mücadeleye sebep olacak bir durum yasatmasın gercekten ya, cok zor, batı dünyasının bu adaletsiz cıkar kumarbazlıgından da dogu’yu bir an önce kurtarsın dilerim.
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J
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D
‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ ‘شو بدك تصير لما تكبر؟’ ‘Architect, so I rebuild Aleppo’ ‘مهندس معماري مشان أعيد بناء حلب’
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C
Possibly the most impactful and important film I have ever watched. First hand proof of human resilience and spirit.
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SStorkie 5 月 7, 2026
❤️
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A
There really is no documentary harder to watch… What can someone even say after watching this? People of the western world will never understand the depravity that many in Southwest Asia endure at the behest of western imperialism/ interventionism, nor do they care to educate or make themselves privy to it all. Fighting through your tears to watch this brutal and grotesque genocide against the Syrian people through the lense of Waad-al-Kateab’s camera will keep you up at night for…
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U
Cried for 1h 40m
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H
An extraordinary document of war and survival. The human will can be broken, but it can also persevere. That perseverance can match and exceed the evil we perpetrate unto ourselves. It can.
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A
watched this after hearing about it for years because i tried to shield myself from the news to move on, but finally had the courage to do it.. this was a special screening that had maybe less than 10 people, probably all syrian too. I have never felt this sense of collective trauma with strangers in this way, we all sat in a dark room sobbing, thousands of miles away from home, in brooklyn new york of all places(!)
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P
Rien n’est plus marquant que des images réelles pour alerter sur les horreurs de la guerre, c’est la stratégie principale de ce documentaire pour susciter la pitié du spectateur européen totalement déconnecté et autant dire que ça a clairement marché sur moi, au bout d’un moment j’ai vraiment cru que j’allais vomir (La scène de l’accouchement par césarienne est sans doute la chose la plus choquante que j’ai jamais vu). Le genre de film qui fait tout relativiser… (…et qui me punit de ne pas faire attention à ce que je regarde)
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V
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D
This is hands down one of the most brutal and moving documentaries I have ever seen
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T
Chilling, haunting, and mesmerizing all at the same time. Many memories came back of watching all this unfold while it was happening. Never forget this moment in history, because it will never forget you.
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G
A deeply harrowing and emotionally realised document of war. I am now firmly *against* war crimes.
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S
Le sentiment atroce d’impuissance face à l’horreur de ces évènements une fois que le documentaire se termine c’est abominable, le silence et c’est tout.
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KKoinu246 4 月 30, 2026
Documentaire poignant où nous suivons une jeune révolutionnaire en plein siège d’Alep en 2016, qui filme pour donner un sens à ce qu’elle vit et pour que sa fille se rappelle de ce qui s’est passé là bas. Il est très difficile de noter une œuvre pareille, vu qu’elle traite d’un sujet dur avec une réelle sincérité, tout est filmé en caméra portée par des gens qui ont vécu les bombardements. On voit les habitants changer au fil du film,…
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F
Sedih banget, semoga semua orang yg terdzolimi di dunia ini bisa dapet keadilan, the movie was realistic, so touching
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𝐂
On peut pas en ressortir indemne et indifférent. Je suis sans voix (la scène du bébé..)
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One of the hardest documentaries I’ve ever watched. Their wedding clips??? K I’m sobbing. Everything is for you Sama!!!!
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Bbaptiste 4 月 30, 2026
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠟⠋⠉⠀⢀⣀⣀⣀⣀⠀⠉⠉⠛⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠟⠁⢀⣠⣶⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣤⣀⠀⠙⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⠋⠀⣠⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣦⡀⠈⠻⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⡿⠁⢠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠀⠙⣿⣿ ⣿⠁⣰⣿⣿⣿⡿⢻⠿⠛⠛⠛⠈⢿⣿⡟⠁⠜⠛⠟⠿⠏⠹⣿⣿⣿⣷⡀⠘⣿ ⡇⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⠁⠀⠀⢀⡄⠀⠀⢺⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠛⣿⣿⣿⡷⠀⢹ ⠁⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣇⠀⠀⠈⠃⠀⠀⣸⣿⣇⠀⠀⠐⠋⠀⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⠈ ⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣇⠠⠀⠀⣠⣴⣿⣿⣿⣠⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀ ⡄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣿⣿⡿⠿⠿⠋⠉⠹⢶⣦⣤⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠯⠀⠀ ⣇⠀⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠛⠛⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠛⠟⠛⠛⠿⠃⠀⠀⢸ ⣿⡄⠘⢿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠀⠀⢀⣠⣤⣀⣀⣀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣿ ⣿⣿⣄⠀⠋⢫⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⡟⠉⠈⠉⠉⢻⣷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣦⡀⠀⠙⠻⢿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣤⣤⠾⡿⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣤⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣠⣴⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
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Cclmovies 4 月 28, 2026
24 heures après le visionnage, un sentiment partagé entre le choc face l’horreur absolue des images, et en même temps l’absence totale de contextualisation du conflit au point où l’aspect propagandiste du film est difficile à remettre en question Un visionnage inoubliable pour différentes raisons Quelle drôle d’expérience que d’appartenir au genre humain
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V
wailed six minutes in. possibly the most personal documentary on Syrian war
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Francis Ford Coppola once said something like this about anti-war films. “I always thought the perfect anti-war film would be a story in Iraq about a family who were going to have their daughter be married, and different relatives were going to come to the wedding. The people manage to come, maybe there’d be some dangers, but no one would get blown up, nobody would get hurt. They would dance at the wedding. That would be an anti-war film. An…
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S
I hate this.
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M
Schockierend
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P
pure human perseverance preserved forever
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J
I forgot to log this the first watch but this is the most gut-wrenching, heartbreaking footage i’ve ever seen. This has swindled my thoughts on documentaries and non-fiction pieces of media forever. Watched for an English documentary, experienced a film that was like no other. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone and broaden their view on the world.
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SSarah 4 月 17, 2026
Saying goodbye is worse than death. I had a tough time watching this, but very needed and it was a good thing that she kept filming and showing the world the harsh reality. Syria is free now but Palestine and many other poor countries still under attack and the none stop bombing , many kids still dieing for absolute nothing!!
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C
Faut avoir l’esprit et le coeur disponible parce que évidemment que c’est aussi dur qu’important.
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L
Francis Ford Coppola once said something like this about anti-war films. “I always thought the perfect anti-war film would be a story in Iraq about a family who were going to have their daughter be married, and different relatives were going to come to the wedding. The people manage to come, maybe there’d be some dangers, but no one would get blown up, nobody would get hurt. They would dance at the wedding. That would be an anti-war film. An…
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N
Showed this to my parents. One of the most powerful films you can watch. Check it out on Channel 4 if you have the time. Dissertation progress: 1500/9000 words
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M
Did I see a drone shot 🤨
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C
Extremely difficult watch! Aleppo under siege, a modern history story that hasn’t gotten the same attention as some. Something very different about watching a war doc and realizing: that’s real blood, that’s a real dead body, that’s a real bomb. Waad says “millions are watching my reports, but no one is doing anything.” Makes me wonder who and what this movie is for. I’m watching, but there’s nothing I can do. Is my role merely to bear witness? Or are…
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“Whether I turn this camera off or I am filming. My whole life is behind this camera.”
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Aartworkjunkie 4 月 4, 2026
been on my watchlist for some time. one of my mentors recommended it while I was working on my thesis, a love letter documentary for my dog. set during the war in aleppo, for sama is painfully heartfelt and stays with you. so much love, so much grief. it feels endless.
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“Sama. You are the most beautiful thing in our life. But what a life I’ve brought you into. You didn’t choose this. Will you ever forgive me?”
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P
« Kids don’t have anything to do with this. » Devastating and haunting. An exceptional documentary on the power of the Syrian community experiencing terrible acts of extreme violence and barbarism while also facing total abandonment. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating to witness all this nonsense leading to people’s unmeasurable suffering.
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C
There are still so many Sama out there in Palestine, Iran, Ukraine, and many more. Stay safe for every Sama in every corner of the world
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N
Waad al-Kateab filme pendant cinq ans sa vie à Alep sous les bombes — et adresse tout ça à sa fille Sama, née en plein chaos. Ce n’est pas un reportage de guerre, c’est une lettre d’amour filmée au milieu de l’apocalypse. Impossible de regarder ça sans être secoué en profondeur. 🎬 L’hôpital de fortune où son mari médecin réanime un nouveau-né sorti des décombres — une scène qui coupe le souffle, entre horreur et miracle brut. 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿/5
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JJade Bailey 4 月 1, 2026
People that say we don’t want refugees in our country need to realise the majority also don’t want to be here they want to be at home in safety without risk of death
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E
sky we love, sky we want. without air forces. without bombing. sky with sun, with clouds. with the birds. they wished for a very simple thing: to live in a world where there’s peace, something that should be granted to all humanity without them begging for it. it was so simple and yet they were deprived of it. at times like that, although i respect their belief, i find it quite ridiculous when they thank God for protecting them from…
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Films by Women : March 2026 Heartbreaking yet hopeful record of a rebellion that may have seemed meaningless if outcomes were the only measure of freedom. But, Freedom is in love that gives strength not just to you but to people around you. Freedom is in hoping against hope. Freedom is being a scared mother to your daughter even as you boldly film life and death inside a hospital. Freedom is in footage that you keep, to tell a story that you want to pass on to the next generation. “Keep filming”. Always.
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I felt anger, fear, helplessness, and a quiet sadness that stayed long after it ended. This film doesn’t ask for sympathy it leaves you carrying the weight of its truth.
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📹
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JJanosch94 3 月 29, 2026
Da fehlen mir einfach die Worte. Bewertung entfällt.
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B
“Even if I never recover from the trauma, I don’t regret anything.” For Sama is an unforgettable love letter from a mother to her daughter. Painful to watch at times but completely necessary as a means for documenting something that the whole world just ignored. The documentary focuses less on the lack of humanity and more so on what a small group of people from Aleppo did for one another.
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K
“What a life I’ve brought you into.”
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L
Such a hard watch movie, Freaking pain all over the place, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
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E
Beste en schockerendste docu ooit .
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__al_yk 9 月 29, 2025
نبغيك عايشة ونموت عليك هذه سيرة حياتي وحبي تمنيت نعيش معاك غير انتي انتي املي وانتي حياتي عايشة عايشة انا نبغيك عايشة عايشة ونموت عليك عايشة عايشة écoute-moi عايشة عايشة my my my
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S
Absolutely heartbreaking. Fuck everyone and anyone making these wars happen
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Waad Al-Kateab started making this film at the age of 21. She carried on filming over the next five years, capturing over 500 hours of footage. She was motivated to make the film cause Syrian Broadcasting was making no mention of the atrocities that were going on in Aleppo. The filming covers five years, between the start of protests against the government of Syria in 2012, and 2017. Waad Al-Kateab fled to safety in Turkey in 2016. She is now a resident of the UK. (Al-Khateab was actually pregnant with Sama’s sister, Taima, when she became a refugee from her native Syria.)
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G
I watched this ages ago but I remembered it today. That’s the kind of film this is. Documentary journalism at its finest
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CCarl Patterson 4 月 18, 2022
This was similar to another documentary that I watched where a camera followed a nurse who was working in a makeshift hospital. Waad is a journalist and was apparently filming this for the Channel 4 news. Her husband Hamza is a doctor working in a makeshift hospital in Aleppo, Syria. Even with the constant shelling they managed to have a baby daughter, Sama and another baby. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dead bodies and pools of blood.…
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C
Mit Elia im Kino35 gesehen; während sich für mich ein Kriegsgebiet zeigt, immer durch die Brille der Tragik der Zerstörung, sagt Elia während des Films zu mir: “An der Uni habe ich studiert.” & dieser Moment tut so weh, weil die Bilder im Film von Orten zeugen, in denen ein Freund aufgewachsen ist. Wo sein Lebensmittelpunkt lag. Dann kam eine Übermacht & hat ihm & so vielen anderen alles entrissen. Ihr Leben gestohlen & sie zum Überleben gezwungen. Somit darf ich nun wenigstens diesen Moment mit ihm teilen…
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Jjatin0605 11 月 6, 2021
I have become so used to comfort of cinema that I couldn’t comprehend the reality of this documentary, it’s like watching a sci fi dystopian society. I had to remind myself that THIS IS NOT A MOVIE, THIS IS NOT A MOVIE, and nothing is show just for exploitation or exaggerated for cinematic effect. I don’t watch documentaries often but they are more effective form of cinema for sure, need more audiences and more exposure, people need to see this,…
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C
Incluso cuando cierro los ojos, sueño el color rojo. Sangre y vísceras por todas partes. En las paredes, en los pisos, en nuestra propia ropa. En ocasiones, si aún hay lágrimas, lloramos sangre
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C
se potessi dare 10 stelle lo farei
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Academy Cinemas Auckland
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K
A very difficult watch, but essential. In a time when more and more people criticise immigration, this documentary will make you ask how can these people stay.
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T
Wrecked me. A reminder that war should be avoided at all costs and how love can persist under any circumstance.
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CCannes Film Festival Tracker 5 月 15, 2019
72ND CANNES FILM FESTIVAL OUT OF COMPETITION – SPECIAL SCREENING
- Synopsis
- 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.
- Director
- Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- Studio
- ITN Productions, Channel 4 Television
- Country
- Syria, UK
- Language
- English, Arabic
- Year
- 2019
- Runtime
- 100 mins
- USA11 Mar 2019
- France15 May 2019
- Ukraine16 Jul 2019
- Czechia06 Mar 2020
- Greece19 May 2020
- USA26 Jul 2019
- UK13 Sep 2019
- France09 Oct 2019
- Netherlands23 Jan 2020
- Italy13 Feb 2020
- Germany05 Mar 2020
- Taiwan06 Mar 2020
- Czechia12 Mar 2020
- Sweden13 Mar 2020
- Hong Kong06 Aug 2020
- Spain13 Nov 2020
- Greece21 May 2021
- Ireland11 Jul 2019
- Switzerland29 Sep 2019
- USA19 Nov 2019
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