Birds of War (15)
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Fri 10 Jul
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Sun 12 Jul
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Mon 13 Jul
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Tue 14 Jul
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Wed 15 Jul
Janay Boulos, a young Lebanese journalist at the BBC, first contacts Syrian cameraman Abd Alkader Habak for footage during the final months of one of the bloodiest and most decisive turning points in Syria’s brutal civil war.
Through texts, video exchanges, voice messages and shared moments from afar, their bond deepens as Janay discovers more about the extraordinary young man documenting violence for her reports, whilst Habak’s world becomes increasingly perilous. When an act of compassion forces Habak to flee Syria, their relationship enters a new phase: for the first time, they meet in person.
Distance, war, cultural differences and familial judgements temporarily fade as the two wrap themselves in a cocoon of safety, away from the terror back home. Despite this, they are never far from the question that will soon enough come to haunt them: could two people from such disparate worlds build a life together?
This work contains flashing images which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.
- Director
- Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak
- Duration
- 85 min
- Opening
- Fri 10 Jul
- Year
- 2026
- Country
- United Kingdom, Syria, Lebanon
- Language
- English, Arabic
- Subtitles
- Partial English
Certificate: 15
Like a flower that somehow emerges through concrete, love can blossom even in a space of unfathomable violence
