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Mediha - Canadian Screening

1h 30m Documentary 2023

For info about our in person screenings, please go to ff.hrw.org/toronto

This film has open captions. Audio Described version of this film is available by purchasing the version titled: “Audio Described Version: Mediha - Toronto Screening” on this festival platform (HERE)

Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl recently returned from Islamic State (ISIS) captivity, turns the camera on herself, capturing an astonishing journey as she confronts her past in order to fight for her future. In 2014, ISIS committed atrocity crimes against the Yazidis, a small religious and ethnic minority in Northern Iraq. Those who survived are still unable to return home. Mediha and her brothers, Ghazwan and Adnan, must now rebuild their lives with the whereabouts of their parents and brother unknown. Mediha takes us on her quest for justice by initiating investigations to uncover the truth about the people who caused her family harm and sharing her story with the world.

Executive produced by Emma Thompson

Winner, U.S. Competition Grand Jury Prize, DOC NYC 2023

“_It’s empowering to see Mediha as both a character and creator. As a viewer, you really empathise with her and understand why it’s so important to bring home the thousands of Yazidis who are still missing, compensate survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable._” - Sarah Sanbar, researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch

Content Advisory: This film contains imagery of threat and terror, and descriptions of atrocity crimes, violence, and sexual and physical abuse.

Director

Hasan Oswald

Producer

Annelise Mecca

Producer

Alexander Spiess

Producer

Stephen Nemeth

Executive Producer

Emma Thompson

Languages

English, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish

Countries

Iraq, Turkey, Syria