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A hymn to love and life, this film without commentary establishes through images a striking parallel between the serenity that times of peace bring to men and the anguish caused by the disasters and horrors of war. Archival footage, in black and white, was used to illustrate the moments of combat while an extremely agile camera captured in color the rural setting in which a young couple of lovers frolic. Hymne à l'amour et à la vie, ce film sans commentaire établit par l'image un saisissant parallèle entre la sérénité qu'apportent aux hommes les temps de paix et l'angoisse qu'engendrent les désastres et les horreurs de la guerre. Des métrages d'archives, en noir et blanc, ont été utilisés pour illustrer les moments de combat tandis qu'une caméra extrêmement agile a capté en couleurs le décor champêtre dans lequel s'ébat un jeune couple d'amoureux.
Director
Writer
Status
Released
Original Language
EN

A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.

Set in an alternate WWI reality where a senseless war rages on, two soldiers on opposite sides of the conflict play a joyful game of chess. A heroic carrier pigeon delivers the soldiers' chess moves over the battlefield as the fighting escalates. Neither soldier knows his opponent as the game and the war builds to its climatic final move. Whoever wins the game, one thing is for certain: there are no winners in war.