Over the past five years, the narrative has slowly shifted on Syria. Spring soon turned to winter as many countries across the Middle East and North Africa slipped back into their chains and the discourse surrounding the crisis in Syria quickly turned to fear-mongering and gabfests about the ‘collective good’. Along came a new generation of Syrian filmmakers determined to carry the voices of their fallen countrymen and women out into the world and put Syrian voices in their rightful place: at the head of the table. It is largely thanks to these filmmakers that the war in Syria is documented through unembellished firsthand accounts and stories whose endings aren’t open to interpretation. They are filmmakers who offer the world no absolution and don’t care very much for self-flagellation or savior complexes. For Sama (2019) This Academy Award-nominated documentary feature offers a glimpse into the female experience during Syria’s rebellion. For Sama started as an intimate project by Syrian journalist Waad Al Kataeb in which she retells Syria’s struggle for democracy, her part in it and her journey as she navigates these harsh realities as a woman and as a…
