For Sama
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | For Sama |
| Original title | For Sama |
| Country of production |
United Kingdom , Syria |
| original language | Arabic |
| Publishing year | 2019 |
| length | 100 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Waad al-Kateab , Edward Watts |
| production | Waad al-Kateab |
| music | Nainita Desai |
| camera | Waad al-Kateab |
| cut |
Chloe Lambourne , Simon McMahon |
For Sama (Original title: For Sama ) is a British - Syrian documentary by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts from the year 2019, which deals with the Syrian Civil War . The film was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary in 2020 and received numerous awards. In Germany, Für Sama was the opening film of the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin 2019 and had its official German theatrical release in 2020.
action
The film is structured as a love letter from Waad al-Kateab to her daughter Sama and shows life in Aleppo during the civil war in Syria . While the city around her is falling to pieces, Waad falls in love with Hamza, marries him and gives birth to their daughter Sama. While Hamza keeps his hospital running almost single-handedly, the budding journalist Waad films everything that happens around her in Aleppo. This includes moments of suffering as well as moments of hope. Finally, the young family leaves Aleppo for safe Turkey . They hope to be able to return to Syria one day.
background
For Sama is based on Waad al-Kateab's private video recordings. She and Watts had to watch over 500 hours of videos to complete.
Shortly after they reached Turkey, a second daughter was born. The family spent a year in Turkey. She now lives in London , where she received asylum . Al-Kateab is today working with the NGO Action for Sama to support humanitarian work in Syria. The director began filming to document the protests against Assad . She processed the material to change something with the film. She first made recordings with her smartphone and later with a video camera. She even borrowed a drone .
reception
According to Patrice Taddonio ( PBS ), the film is the rare case of a film that shows the female perspective of war. On the one hand, it shows the destruction and loss, but on the other hand it is also the message a mother sends to her daughter about love, loyalty and perseverance in impossible situations. Hugh Montgomery for the BBC emphasizes that women could also make very “manly” war films, for example Kathryn Bigelow with The Hurt Locker . It's probably a mother's perspective. Although he admits that women can process war more emotionally.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung called Für Sama a courageous and touching documentary. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung sees the film as an important contemporary document .
Awards
Für Sama had already received over 50 awards at the beginning of the year . Among other things, it is the first documentary film to be nominated in four categories for the British Academy Film Awards , where it was named best documentary film.
The German film evaluation agency awarded the title “Particularly valuable”. For Sama, it stands out formally as an experience report and video diary from a classic documentary. The important film is a moving document of the times.
Web links
- Sama in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b For Sama. In: German Film and Media Assessment (FBW). Retrieved March 7, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c Eleanor Stanford, After 'For Sama,' a Syrian Family Finds Refuge in London , The New York Times, November 20, 2019.
- ↑ a b The suffering captured in Syria documentary "For Sama" "is still happening right now," filmmaker says , CBS of January 28, 2020.
- ↑ a b For Sama filmmaker captures the pain and destruction of war in Syria , Los Angeles Times, January 25, 2020.
- ↑ Patrice Taddonio, 10 Reasons to Watch the Oscar-Nominated Documentary “For Sama” , PBS January 30, 2020.
- ^ Hugh Montgomery, For Sama and the femal perspective on war , BBC, September 19, 2019.
- ↑ Bernhard Blöchl, fame and relevance , Süddeutsche Zeitung of July 7, 2019.
- ↑ Denise Bucher, "For Sama": Survival in Aleppo Neue Zürcher Zeitung of October 4, 2019.