For Sama
(Waad Al-Kateeb/Edward Watts, 2019, 100 min, UK/Syria, Arabic w/ subtitles, Color, DCP)
— Introduced by Miriam Cooke, Braxton Craven Distinguished Professor Emerita of Arab Cultures (AMES)
Best Documentary winner at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, For Sama is an intimate journey into the female experience of war. 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.
“Simple in concept and shattering in execution… it’s you-are-there cinema of the most literal order.” — Variety
“Gripping…uncannily relatable.” — The New York Times [Critic’s Pick]
