Mediha

If a week ago my future-self told me I would have one of the most profound experiences of my life during the debut of the Indie Street Film Festival in Red Bank NJ, watching a foreign language subtitled film, I wouldn't have believed it. Director Hasan Oswald's documentary, Mediha, opened the festival in a way that we the viewers will never forget. Mediha is the story of a young Yazidi girl who at 10 years old was captured from her home in northern Iraq and sold into slavery. She was sold and resold as a slave to ISIS fighters multiple times, yet survived and found strength and determination to tell/share her story through her own lens. I had the honor of meeting the Director and receiving the warmest hug from Mediha at the end of the night. After enduring unimaginable horror, Mediha glows with kindness, energy and light that radiates from her heart into ours. This film is a must see, her story is a must share and the cause is a must support. A million Thank You's to @hasanohhh @medihaalhamad @medhiafilm @indiestfilmfest for touching our hearts. Mediha, you are an amazing, powerful woman and it is my prayer that this film provides you with every opportunity you need to heal and succeed. #liftingwomenup #medihaisaboss #filmsthatmatter. I'm.

"Mediha" is a powerful documentary directed by Hasan Oswald that offers a candid glimpse into the life of a 15-year-old Iraqi girl named Mediha, who, along with her brothers, Ghazwan and Adnan, navigates the challenges of living in a refugee camp after being rescued from ISIS captivity. Through a blend of first-person camerawork by Mediha herself and Oswald's aerial shots, the film sheds light on the atrocities faced by the Yazidi community, where men are executed, women are sold into slavery, and children are indoctrinated into the Islamic State.

Oswald's sensitive storytelling approach allows Mediha to share her experiences at her own pace, respecting her boundaries while still highlighting the resilience and strength she embodies. The documentary not only serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing humanitarian crisis but also celebrates the power of resilience and the hope for healing in the face of unimaginable trauma.

"Mediha" is a compelling and thought-provoking film that demands attention and empathy from viewers, offering a unique perspective on the human spirit's ability to endure and overcome adversity.

Mediha manages to leave you with a sense of awareness and powerlessness towards a girl and, more generally, towards the living conditions of some minority groups who constantly seek peace and justice. Mediha confronts you with an obvious reality that we don't always remember: not everyone has the privilege of living a "normal" life, as we in the Western world perceive it.

Mediha is a teenager who has experienced a life that no ordinary human being should ever dream of living. The right to be a girl, the right to live with her family, the right to live her own identity are some things that Mediha has had to sacrifice due to the situation she has experienced since she was little. But these absences are filled by a willpower and courage that are nothing short of admirable.

Mediha is a stunningly vulnerable story of a girl who has experienced massive trauma reclaiming her voice and her life. The film brings much needed attention to the Yazidi genocide, the consequences of which are still ongoing. I adored how this film gave the camera to Mediha herself, empowering her to tell her own story while supporting her with great care and intention. Mediha is one of the bravest, most resilient women I have ever witnessed on screen and it was a privilege to watch her. Despite the immense heaviness, the film is also threaded through with hope and I'm excited to see what Mediha does next.

Before seeing Mediha, i had some mixes feeling about the movie, especially regarding the overall method. Deciding to give the protagonist a camera is a peculiar choice. You have to trust the subject so much that she will become part of the movie, somehow a second director. Mediha successfully manages to tell her story in a personal way that has no equal, and paradoxically i now think that the method is the major innovative strenght of the movie, together with the heartbreaking, untold, kept-away-from-the-media story. Mediha is one of the most interesting documentaries of this year and i really hope it will find its audience around the world.