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World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact Winner
The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman as told through 13 years of personal archives across revolutions, war, and exile.
+ MoreWorld Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact Winner
The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman as told through 13 years of personal archives across revolutions, war, and exile.
“Can you find a story and film it?”
“Yes, but who are you? All I know is that you’re from the BBC.”
Although they wouldn’t realize it yet, this text exchange begins the love story of filmmakers Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak. With international journalists banned during the Syrian civil war, outlets like the BBC must rely on activists on the ground to provide footage. Trading text messages and voice notes between London and Aleppo, Boulos tasks Habak to capture editorially approved stories, but, gradually, theirs shifts from a working relationship to something more. Immersive and emotional, Birds of War traces their parallel lives — Boulos becoming disenchanted with journalism, Habak facing the inevitable fall of Aleppo — as they grow closer. As both Syria and Boulos’ homeland of Lebanon undergo dramatic developments, the couple reflects on the sacrifices made because of politics and war, but also on what they’ve gained. — BT
This film contains strobe effects.
This film contains mature content and may not be appropriate for all ages.
Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 29–February 1) and credentialed press and industry (January 28–February 1).
Janay Boulos
Abd Alkader Habak
Janay Boulos
Abd Alkader Habak
Claire Ferguson
Sonja Henrici
Janay Boulos
Abd Alkader Habak
Will Hewitt
Tanya Singh
Claire Ferguson
George Foulgham
Will Hewitt
Ahmad Habak
Milad Alshehabi
Fadi Al Halabi
Jonathan Key
Harpal Mudhar & Darren Sng
Sonja Henrici Creates
Sonja Henrici
contact@sonjahenrici.com
447765415486
A Lebanese journalist and documentary producer based between Lebanon and London, Janay Boulos has extensive experience across news, broadcast, digital, and field production. She is producing several documentaries for international outlets, including Al Jazeera and The New York Times, as well as her second feature documentary, Until the Buzzing Stops.
A Syrian cinematographer, activist, and documentary filmmaker, Abd Alkader Habak documented six years of the Syrian revolution. Based between London and Syria, his work blends journalism and human rights storytelling, exploring identity, exile, and return. Currently, he is working on two short documentaries and his second feature, Until the Buzzing Stops.
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