InstituteFestivalProfessionals
EN/NL
Donate
Loading...
MyIDFA
Watani My Homeland
About IDFA
Archive
Watani My Homeland
IDFA 2018

Watani My Homeland

Marcel Mettelsiefen
Germany, United Kingdom
2017
51 min
n.a.
Festival history

A family with four young children lives in Aleppo, Syria, a city largely destroyed by civil war. The father risks his life every day as he seeks to topple Assadā€™s regime as a commander in the Free Syrian Army. Between the rubble of the largely abandoned neighborhood, and under the constant threat of bombings and sharpshooters, the family tries to get by.

One day, the father is turned over to the IS by his own comrades and the mother decides to flee. Together with her children, she travels by way of Istanbul to Germany, where she is warmly welcomed in the beautiful old town of Goslar. Despite their traumatic experiences, the children seem to adapt quickly, but their mother has a hard time in a foreign culture without her husband.

In Watani My Homeland, the extended version of Marcel Mettelsiefenā€™s 2016 short documentary, the director closely follows the daily life of the family for three years, emphasizing the perspectives of the children. In the process, the film offers a gripping view on what war can do to peopleā€™s lives.

Credits
Director
Production
    Marcel Mettelsiefen,
    Stephen Ellis,
    John Keyes for ITN Productions
Executive producer
    Chris Shaw for ITN Productions,
    Anthony Wonke
    Chris Shaw for ITN Productions,
    Anthony Wonke
Editing
    Stephen Ellis for A.C.E.
    Stephen Ellis for A.C.E.
Involved TV Channel
    Channel 4,
    ZDF,
    FRONTLINE PBS
    Channel 4,
    ZDF,
    FRONTLINE PBS
Co-production
    Globalo Media,
    RYOT
    Globalo Media,
    RYOT