Nezouh

In the midst of the conflict in Syria, 14-year-old Zeina and her parents are amongst the last people still living in their besieged Damascus neighbourhood. When a missile strike rips a gaping hole in their home, Zeina discovers a window opening upon a world of unthinkable possibilities. She likes sleeping under the stars and becomes friends with Amer, a neighbour her age. When the intensity of the fighting escalates, Zeina and her parents are pressured to evacuate, but her father is determined to stay in their home. He refuses to become a refugee. Faced with a dilemma -- a matter of life or death -- Zeina and her mother have to decide. - 'No one wants to leave everything behind, to abandon their homeland, their memories, their identity and become a foreigner with all the associated stereotypes. You only do that when your life is in danger. That's why I decided that the father would categorically refuse to leave his home, even when the situation becomes dangerous, so that the audience would realize that staying whatever the cost is madness. I hope they will therefore understand why people are sometimes forced to flee their country.' Soudade Kaadan