Rashid, the Boy from Sinjar

A 15-year-old boy with big red curls looks into the camera and tells his story. Rashid was imprisoned by the Islamic State as a child. He survived and was reunited with his family, but IS killed his grandfather and are still holding his little sister captive. It has been nine years and no one knows where she is or what happened to her. He is calm while sharing this unimaginable story.

It’s striking how gracious Rashid and his family are. Not hateful or vindictive. It’s almost surreal being a witness to their everyday lives or what’s left of them. Their city of Sinjar is the historic homeland of the Yezidis in Iraq—a city of ruins, as far as the eye can see. In this apocalyptic landscape Rashid and his friends just try to live their youth, walking around and hanging out as if nothing had ever happened.

Like any other teenager, Rashid has to figure out who he is and what he wants to do. Will he stay in Sinjar and fight for his community or will he leave? It’s a subtle coming of age film about resilience and family, with a protagonist that recounts the unfathomable while retaining his impressive strength and warmth.