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Mediha

Director

Hasan Oswald

Executive Producers

Emma Thompson, Besty Stahl, Rick Dugdale, Hakan Karlsson, Joyce Pierpoline, Jason Loftus

Producers

Hasan Oswald, Annelise Mecca, Fahrinisa Campana, Alexander Spiess, Stephen Nemeth

Editor

Kaitlyn Plum

Cinematographers

Hasan Oswald, Mediha Alhamad

Having survived kidnapping and enslavement by ISIS, Mediha and her younger brothers, Ghazwan and Adnan, must now attempt to rebuild their lives with the whereabouts of their father, mother, and baby brother unknown. Faced by local and international complexities which continue to affect rescue and accountability efforts eight years after the genocide, the siblings must turn to a network of Yazidi rescuers in the search for their missing family members. The story takes place over three years across Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, highlighting the ongoing and long-lasting impact of ISIS atrocities. Mediha takes us on her quest for justice, confronting her trauma and pain through personal video diaries and reclaiming her voice by initiating investigations into her perpetrator and shedding light on the ongoing struggle of thousands of Yazidis.

Post-screening discussion with director Hasan Oswald and film participant Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad, moderated by Afghan Politician and Activist Muqaddesa Yourish.

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Hasan Oswald

Director, Mediha

Since the start of his filmmaking career, Hasan Oswald has demonstrated an ability to capture the human experience through verité cinema. His unfettered access to and intimacy with his subjects creates a seamless veneer between the filmmaker and subject that heightens the immediacy and personal nature of his storytelling. He has covered the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (Forgotten USA), drug trafficking and homelessness in Camden, New Jersey (Higher Love), and the international diaspora of conflict refugees for National Geographic (Hell on Earth). His latest documentary, Mediha, 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 in 2023. Hasan was also named one of DOC NYC’s 40 under 40 documentary rising stars to watch, co-presented by HBO Documentary Films.