Trauma, memory and hope: The story of Syrian refugees

Syrian activist, revolutionary and filmmaker Waad al-Kateab gave birth to her daughter Sama under siege in Aleppo, sheltering in a makeshift hospital while Bashar al-Assad’s forces bombed the city around them. As a new mother, she decided to pick up her camera and document what she imagined were her last moments alive.

Three years after her landmark documentary For Sama toured the world, al-Kateab continues to campaign for the rights of Syrians, those displaced and those still facing persecution and violence at home. She is also raising two daughters now in her family’s new home in the UK.

In this episode of The Big Picture, we sit down with the filmmaker at the opening of her new exhibit ‘We Dared To Dream’ to talk about displacement, new beginnings and the fight that remains unfinished.