Nezouh

Fourteen-year-old Zeina (Hala Zein) and parents Hala (Kinda Alloush) and Mutaz (Samer Al Masri) are among the last residents of a suburb in Damascus that has been subject to heavy shelling. It is largely due to Mutaz’s stubbornness that the family have not forsaken this dangerous environment for the uncertainty of life as refugees. When a bomb falls on their apartment, the family are miraculously unhurt, but there is now a hole in the roof of Zeina’s room, giving her an unobstructed view of the sky above. A rope lowered by neighbourhood boy Amer (Nizar Alani) marks the beginning of an escape of sorts for Zeina, as Amer, a budding filmmaker, shows her footage of the oceans she so desperately dreams of, and encourages her to imagine life after the war in this charming, beautifully photographed, and poignant film.