Born in Damascus has been selected at Berlinale in the competition ‘Generation 14plus’.
Filmed as part of SDI’s Bridging The Gap initiative by Laura Wadha. The Scottish filmmaker reconnects with her cousin in Canada. Once on similar paths, their lives were changed by war and after 10 years apart they attempt to answer the questions of their childhood in Syria.
Laura Wadha says, “I am so grateful to have been selected for such a prestigious festival as Berlinale.
Born in Damascus is a personal film following my journey as I reconnect with my Syrian cousin who I have not seen for the past ten years. I grew up in Scotland but spent many holidays in Syria – these are treasured memories, and I was very close with my family there, especially my cousin, Lujain. As the pandemic started and restrictions meant that people were unable to see their loved ones, I realised that this has been the reality for my family for a very long time. Since the war in Syria began, my family has been involuntarily separated by war and displaced around the world. I wanted to make a film which captures this and explores how distance has affected my relationship with my closest cousin, Lujain, as we reconnect online.”
“I have had the pleasure of working with a great team, my long-term collaborators Ruth Knight (sound designer) and Harry Brokensha (composer) who I met and worked with at the National Film and Television School. I would like to say thank you to them and to my editing consultant Maya Hawke and producer Charlotte Hailstone. Without their guidance this film would not have been possible.”
The 19th Bridging the Gap selection of films, filmed in 2020, Born in Damascus premiered at The Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2021 and later at the Inverness Film Festival. Berlinale 2022 will be it’s International Premier.
The Scottish Documentary Institute was created in 2004 by Noe Mendelle who noticed a need for Scottish documentary representation on an international stage.
The institute achieved charitable status in 2019 and remains committed to nurturing filmmaking talent in Scotland.
Film Trailer
Laura Wadha will be available for interviews and quotes, please direct all questions to
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