Private Project

FOR SAMA

FOR SAMA is the incredible story about Waad al-Khateab, who filmed her life over a five year period during the conflict in Aleppo. During that time she married a doctor, gave birth to a daughter (Sama), and continued capturing moments of love, loss, sacrifice and survival. FOR SAMA essentially serves as a love letter from a mother to her daughter.

  • Waad Al-Khateab and Ed Watts
    Director
  • Waad Al-Khateab
    Writer
  • Raney Aronson, Dan Edge, Siobahn Sinnerton, Nevine Mabro, George Waldrum, Ben De Pear
    Producer
  • Waad Al-Khateab, Hamza and Sama Al-Khateab
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 36 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    1 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Syrian Arab Republic
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Shooting Format:
    phone/Sony HD CAM/Canon 7D/drone
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • SXSW Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    United States
    March 11, 2019
    World Premiere
    Best Documentary Jury Award & Audience Award
  • Hot Docs Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    April 29, 2019
    North American Premiere
    Special Jury Prize / Listed with top 5 documentaries liked by audiences
  • Cannes Film Festival
    Cannes
    France
    May 15, 2019
    International Premiere
    TBD
  • Sheffield
    Sheffield
    United Kingdom
    June 8, 2019
    TBD
  • AFI DOCS
    Washington, DC
    United States
    June 20, 2019
    US Premiere
    TBD
  • River Run International Film Festival
    Winston-Salem, NC
    United States
    April 9, 2019
    Best Cinematography Award
  • Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
    Minneapolis, MN
    United States
    April 5, 2019
Distribution Information
  • PBS Distribution
    Country: United States
    Rights: Free TV
Director Biography - Waad Al-Khateab and Ed Watts

Waad al-Kateab – Director/Producer
Waad al-Kateab is a Syrian journalist and filmmaker who works for Channel 4 News in the UK. During the siege of Aleppo she captured some of the most memorable images of the conflict - and her short news films won 24 awards – including the 2016 International Emmy for breaking news coverage.

Ed Watts - Director
Edward is an Emmy award-winning, BAFTA nominated filmmaker who has directed over 20 documentary films for broadcasters including the BBC, Channel 4 and PBS. His films tell stories of courage, heroism and humor, covering everything from war crimes in the Congo, to favela residents in Rio de Janeiro. His filmmaking aspires to tell visceral, gripping stories about people around the world and emphasize our common humanity to audiences back home. In so doing, he hopes his films can make a positive contribution to reducing the hatred in our tumultuous world.

Add Director Biography