Nov 12-22, 2026
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Birds of War

Birds of War

Janay Boulos, Abd al Kader Habak
United Kingdom, Syria, Lebanon
2026
85 min
Dutch Premiere
Best of Fests
Synopsis

After foreign journalists are barred from entering Aleppo, Lebanese BBC journalist Janay Boulos depends on the footage sent to her by Syrian activist-cameraman Abd Alkader Habak. At first, they exchange brief, practical text messages, but gradually their communication becomes increasingly intimate: they send each other voice messages and personal videos and give each other pet names.

Meanwhile, the horrors of the bombings continue, and Habak sends terrifying footage from the front line—at one point, he is in a hospital when it is bombed. When revolution breaks out in Lebanon, Boulos travels back to her home country. Drawing on their personal archives, they worked together to make this chronological film about the tension between documenting reality and becoming part of it themselves.

A story about their love, the impact of war and revolution on their lives and their families, and the pain and inner conflict that come from choosing to live in exile.

Lees verder
Credits
85 min
color
DCP
Spoken languages: Arabic, English
Director
    Janay Boulos,
    Abd al Kader Habak
    Janay Boulos,
    Abd al Kader Habak
Production
    Abd al Kader Habak namens Habak Films Ltd,
    Janay Boulos namens Habak Films Ltd,
    Sonja Henrici namens Sonja Henrici Creates
    Abd al Kader Habak namens Habak Films Ltd,
    Janay Boulos namens Habak Films Ltd,
    Sonja Henrici namens Sonja Henrici Creates
Cinematography
    Abd al Kader Habak
    Abd al Kader Habak
Editing
    Will Hewitt
    Will Hewitt
Screenplay
    Janay Boulos,
    Abd al Kader Habak
    Janay Boulos,
    Abd al Kader Habak
World Sales
    Dogwoof
    Dogwoof

Stills

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