Syrian documentary ‘For Sama’ wins big at BAFTAs

“I would like to dedicate this award to the great Syrian people who are still suffering today. The great heroes, the doctors, nurses, civil defense, and so many other people,” said Waad Al-Kateab, the director of ‘For Sama’, as she walked on stage to accept her award.

The gut-wrenching story about a mother in war-torn Aleppo has bagged the ‘Best Documentary’ Award at the BAFTAs last night. ‘For Sama’, which was nominated in four different categories, also became the first documentary to do so in BAFTA history.

“In 2016, three years ago, we were in Aleppo. We were in a basement of a field hospital – Hamza, me and Sama and Afra, and we heard the shelling and bombs all the time around. At one moment, in 2016, when I was in contact with Channel 4 news, we even thought about where we should bury our footage in case we didn’t make it,” Kateab shared.

The director also made sure to use her speech to inform audiences that her success should not overshadow the suffering her home country is facing. “We did the film, and I’m so honoured to be standing here. But as we’re speaking now, the situation in Syria is still really bad. As we’re speaking, there’s bombing and shelling on more than 3.5 million civilians.”

Sama, Kateab’s daughter, also joined the team on stage, overjoyed with her parents’ win.