Preview of film Mediha
🎥 31st July - 2nd August: On demand 48-hour preview
📅 1st August, 6pm BST: Live Q&A
📍 Free online event
Exclusive film preview and Q&A
An exclusive preview of the award-winning film "Mediha" and a Q&A with our team and the film's director
In August 2024 we shared a preview of the film Mediha and hosted a live Q&A with the director of the film and our team to mark the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide.
Mediha gives viewers an opportunity to learn about the long-lasting impact of ISIS atrocities through the story of one of the brave survivors.
Mediha
About the film
"Mediha" tells the story of a teenage Yazidi girl who has recently returned from ISIS captivity and has turned the camera on herself to process her trauma while rescuers search for her missing family members.
The film delves into themes of resilience, hope and the unyielding spirit of those who refuse to be broken by their circumstances. Directed by Hasan Oswald and executively produced by Emma Thompson, "Mediha" has been acclaimed for its authentic portrayal of the struggles and triumphs faced by women in war-torn regions.
Meet the panel
Khalida Khalo Lazgeen
Programme Officer, Women for Women International - Iraq
Khalida works with women at Shekhan training centre in Iraq. She joined the organisation inspired by our name, the support we give women and her desire to deliver messages of hope to women in Iraq. She's most proud of her work on projects that support marginalised women and survivor of gender-based violence.
Khalida is Yazidi, she was a young woman when ISIS fighters came within a few miles of her village and had to escape to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Hasan Oswald
Director and Producer of "Mediha"
Hasan 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.
Sara Bowcutt
Managing Director - Fundraising, People, Partnerships and Communications, Women for Women International - UK
Sara Bowcutt is the Managing Director of Women for Women International – UK, having previously served as Director of Fundraising and Marketing at the organisation. She has worked in the charity sector for nearly 20 years.
Sara will host the Q&A.
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In 2018, Leila's village in Damascus, Syria was bombed, killing two of her children and injuring her daughter so badly that she still struggles to walk properly today. Despite their injuries, Leila and her daughter made the difficult to decision to leave their home and seek asylum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In the face of immense grief, Leila knew that she needed to move forward for the sake of her family.
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Our neighbour knocked at the door and asked ‘Why are you not escaping?’ She told us that they are kidnapping girls and killing men, so we decided to run away and not take anything with us.
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