Since civil war started in Syria in 2011, an estimated 9 million Syrians have fled their homes, half of them children. With a soundtrack composed by Gabriel Yared, this feature length film (also available in 55 mins) follows seven young children for a year. We witness everything through their eyes, from their escape from Syria, through refugee camps in the Middle East, to their arrival into the promised land of Europe. And then we continue following them for their first six months in Europe, recording their integration.
“I left everything in Aleppo, my clothes, my toys, my bed”, states Yara. “Now we sleep on stones. It’s been a month since I washed”. Marwan remembers crying all the way through the terrifying boat journey to Greece. ’My father said “close your eyes, everything will be fine’’. Others, like Jaseem and Jihane, had to leave their parents behind.
These children have fled unimaginable horror: the indiscriminate bombings of Bachar Al Assad’s government, the brutal killing of rebels of the Al Nuzra front, and the Islamic State’s raping and beheading, only to find themselves trapped in makeshift camps or closed borders.
Filmed in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, this is a unique testimony to the refugee experience.
Torn apart by war and politics: from Germany Raf’aa prays to be reunited with her young family, who are trapped in one of Europe’s worst refugee camps
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Tens of thousands of men, women and children have disappeared into secret detention centres in Syria since the protests began in 2011. Survivors allege crimes against humanity. They’re fighting to free those still detained and to prosecute the perpetuators at the very top of the regime.
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