‘For Sama’ — Photos

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August 2, 2019 7:17PM EDT
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‘For Sama’ Pics

‘For Sama’ Pics
Courtesy of PBS

Waad Al-Kateab is a Syrian filmmaker and journalist who directed the 2019 documentary, ‘For Sama.’ The film – which won awards at Cannes and SXSW – follows her life over five years, from the 2011 Arab Spring to 2016 when she left Syria. She began filming as a university student in Aleppo to record the uprising in the face of the brutal Assad regime. During that five-year period she moved to East Aleppo with Hamza Al-Kateab. At the beginning of the documentary they were friends, but through the course of the film they fell in love, got married and had a baby, Sama. ‘For Sama’ is a love letter to their daughter, a bid to explain why they stayed in Aleppo under threat of Russian bombs, death and destruction as they bid to save lives and fight for democracy. Asked why she kept on filming even though she was at risk, Waad told HollywoodLife, ‘ We were protesting in the street [but] you come back home watching the formal [TV] channels…[and the government said], “This is just fake news.”’

August 2, 2019, 3:30PM
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Waad Al-Kateab Filming in Syria

Waad Al-Kateab Filming in Syria
Courtesy of PBS

Waad Al-Kateab films amid the destruction in Syria. The journalist shot footage from 2011 Arab Spring until she left the country for good in 2016. 

August 2, 2019, 3:30PM
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Waad & Hamza Al-Kateab With Sama

Waad & Hamza Al-Kateab With Sama
Courtesy of PBS

Waad and her husband Hamza Al-Kateab look at bombed ruins with their baby daughter, Sama. This scene is taken from the docu-film, ‘For Sama.’ 

August 2, 2019, 3:30PM
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Hamza Al-Kateab, Sama & Hospital Staff

Hamza Al-Kateab, Sama & Hospital Staff
Courtesy of PBS

Hamza Al-Kateab holds his daughter Sama as they pose with medical staff in the hospital that he helped to found in East Aleppo in 2012. 

August 2, 2019, 3:30PM
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Sama Holds Up A Sign

Sama Holds Up A Sign
Courtesy of PBS

Sama posed with a sign that read, ‘This is Aleppo. What’s justice?’ in September 2016. The words are in response to U.S. presidential candidate Gary Johnson’s gaffe, ‘What’s Aleppo?’ when he was asked to comment on the bombing campaign. 

August 2, 2019, 3:30PM
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Filmmaker Edward Watt

Filmmaker Edward Watt
Courtesy of PBS

Edward Watt is the British filmmaker who worked with Waad Al-Kateab to direct ‘For Sama.’ Speaking of the film, he told HollywoodLife, ‘These are our brothers and sisters. They’ve got the same sense of humor, same dreams, same families, everything is so recognizable and it’s a real testament to our shared humanity that these guys captured…’ 

August 2, 2019, 3:30PM