A Syrian film is awarded as the best documentary at Cannes 2019

“To Sama”, a Syrian film was awarded as the best documentary during its show at the 72nd session of Cannes Film festival in France in 15 and16 May 2019.

Among 18 ones, the film “the Golden Eye” won fifty-fifty with “Dream series” film for  the Chilean Patricio Gusman, the award presented to the best documentary shown during the festival.  

The film was directed by the Syrian Wa’id Al-Khatib with the participation of the British director Edward Watts. Al-Khatib filmed about 300 hours in Aleppo city that was devastated by war, then she made the photos a documentary with the British director Edward Watts. 

The documentary was about the life of a young woman struggling for love and motherhood during five years in Syria. 

Wa”id has documented her life as a journalist in the besieged city of Aleppo where she got married to a doctor and gave birth to a baby girl named Sama in 2015. The family chose to stay under the siege of Aleppo despite the fear on their little daughter’s life. 

The documentary contains footage of war victims including emergency surgeries for bombing victims.