For Sama: The Syrian Campaign

Dear Habib,

My name is Waad al-Kateab. I am a Syrian filmmaker. I now live in London with my family, but Aleppo is my hometown. 

In 2011, when I was studying at the University of Aleppo, peaceful protests against the Assad regime began. When Assad's forces started to use violence to silence protestors, I decided to film what I saw. 

Waad and her daughter, Sama, in Aleppo

I used my phone to film at first. I had to be careful, but I also knew this was something I had to do. I was living on the front line; living through the catastrophic chaos that was destroying my people, my town, my home. I filmed the protests, the injuries, the massacres. I filmed the doctors, the patients, and the parents whose children were killed. I filmed my own life too; my love, my wedding, the birth of my first baby, Sama. 

Every day I was filming, I was expecting it to be the last day of my life. For me, as for many other activists, all we wanted was to have evidence about what was happening on the ground to counter the lies the regime was propagating.

After working on a Channel 4 News story, an opportunity came to make a feature documentary using the 500 hours of footage I’d filmed every day for five years. I never expected it to happen. This was my chance to share my story with the world. This was my chance to speak to Sama, my daughter. I made it for her. 

Tomorrow (Tuesday, 19 November), PBS is broadcasting “For Sama” at 10pm ET / 9pm CT.  If you’re in the United States, please watch the film and ask your friends and family to watch it too.

My last day of filming these war crimes in Syria was three years ago. But the attacks on the Syrian people have only grown worse since then. Just this week, harrowing reports have emerged of further attacks on homes and hospitals in Aleppo and Idlib by the Syrian regime and Russia. 

For Sama is so much more than a film to me. When I started working on it many people told me that no one will be interested in a film about Syria. But since its release, I have been overwhelmed by the positive reaction from people around the world who loved the film, related to my experience as a woman and mother, and wanted to do more. This has given me a huge boost to work harder and use the documentary to create awareness and push for accountability for war crimes. We have launched a campaign to help do that.

I am happy that "For Sama" will enter many American homes through PBS Frontline. Please watch, share, and take action. 

Yours,
Waad

For Sama, a multiple-award-winning documentary by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts, is an epic and intimate depiction of life on the ground in Aleppo, from the perspective of a female filmmaker and mother. It will be aired on PBS Frontline on Tuesday 19 November. Check your local listing and broadcast streaming link. 

Please tune in, share with your friends and family, then join the filmmakers’ campaign at actionforsama.com (@actionforsama on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).