Directed by Hasan Oswald and Executive Produced by Emma Thompson, this 
award-winning film is an incredible story of resilience. Mediha, a 15-year-old Yazidi girl, 
roams the fields surrounding a refugee camp in Northern Iraq with a camera, making intimate, poignant video diaries. Captured by ISIS and sold into sex slavery at age 9, Mediha was traded among four different men, while her mother, Afaf, went missing, her younger brothers, Adnan and Ghazwan, were 
also enslaved, and her entire community systematically murdered. Mediha turns her camera on herself to process her trauma after surviving captivity from ISIS. The film leaves us in awe of the budding activist, who has already lived many lives and is nowhere near done. In his sophomore feature, Hasan Oswald (HIGHER LOVE) sensitively tracks the 
devastating aftermath of her escape and survival, empowering Mediha to share her experience through her own eyes and voice, as she seeks legal justice with the help of Yazidi rescuers and mounts a courageous search for her mother, and, most of all, fights for healing. Hassan joins us for a conversation on this powerful story of unbelievable resilience and love for of family, including her brothers Adnan, Ghazwan, and Bazan, her uncles Gazan and Omar, her mother Afaf and her father Ibrahim.
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For more go to: medihafilm.com
For more on how you can help go to: Mediha/impact
About the filmmaker – Director and Producer Hasan Oswald has covered the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (Forgotten USA), drug trafficking and homelessness in Camden, NJ (Higher Love), and the international diaspora of conflict refugees for NatGeo (Hell on Earth). His latest documentary, Mediha, is executive produced by Emma Thompson and follows a teenage Yazidi girl processing her trauma after being held captive by ISIS. ‘Mediha’ won the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award runner-up at Doc NYC 2023. Hasan was also named one of Doc NYC’s 40 under 40 documentary rising stars to watch co-presented by HBO Documentary Films.
About the Subject – Mediha Alhamad (subject / cinematographer) was an integral part of the making of the Mediha documentary. She filmed herself and her family for three years, bringing the audience into the most authentic telling of her story. She’s brave and determined beyond her years and has become an advocate for her community. She has the potential to help other Yazidi women and girls in very similar circumstances, and we believe that she, a Yazidi survivor herself, is the best person to do this.
SOCIAL MEDIA
facebook.com/filmforumnyc
instagram.com/hasanohhh
instagram.com/medihaalhamad
instagram.com/emmathompsonofficial
“Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad was 10 years old when Islamic State fighters raided her Yazidi village and sold her into sexual slavery. The gift of a film camera ‘saved her life’ and led to an award-winning documentary.” – Saeed Kamali Dehghan, The Guardian
“Through it all, Mediha remains a marvel, finding the inner strength to be there for her brothers at the same time as steeling herself to try to identify her kidnapper.” – Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
“Revelatory…pulsates with a devastating optimism. Mediha offers what few documentaries covering this region’s conflicts do…By entrusting Mediha with the camera, Oswald has given her and her brothers an opportunity to exercise hope. They in turn have offered audiences a sacred invitation.” – Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter
“Crushingly beautiful… One of the 10 Must-See Films at DOC NYC.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire
“I am so honored to be a small part of this incredible film, which shines a light on forgotten voices and overlooked injustices. From the earliest versions I watched, I could see how gracefully and empathetically made the film was…” Brilliantly crafted… uniquely collaborative…it captures the raw reality.” – Emma Thompson, Deadline