Mediha
USA, 91', 2023
age recommendation: 14+
original language: Kurdish
Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad is a young Yazidi refugee who has survived ISIS kidnapping and enslavement. Along with her brothers, she seeks to rebuild her life while their parents and baby brother remain missing. Eight years after the genocide, Mediha confronts local and international obstacles in the search for her family, turning to Yazidi rescuers for help. Through personal video-diaries, she documents her quest for justice, confronting her trauma and pain. The film captures Mediha’s journey across Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, highlighting the ongoing impact of ISIS atrocities. With courage and dignity, Mediha reclaims her voice, becoming an inspiring activist in the process.
Hasan Oswald
His directorial debut in feature films was with the documentary Higher Love, about a blue-collar worker who tries to rescue his pregnant, heroin-addicted girlfriend from the notorious streets of Camden, NJ. The film won nine international festival awards in 2020, including the Slamdance Grand Jury award. He directed the short Refugees Welcome,about the refugee crisis in Lesbos, Greece, and previously worked in the Middle East on Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS on National Geographic.
Cast & Crew
- direction: Hasan Oswald
- screenplay: Hasan Oswald
- cinematography: Hasan Oswald, Mediha Alhamad
- editing: Kaitlyn Plum
- music: Henry Bloomfield
- sound: Ken Skoglund
- producers: Hasan Oswald, Annelise Mecca, Fahrinisa Campana, Alexander Spiess, Stephen Nemeth
- production company: LoveWorld Media
Filmography
- Higher Love (2020)
English 
Greek