Director | Waad al Kateab
Director Waad al Kateab is a Syrian activist and Oscar®-nominated filmmaker. She became a citizen journalist in 2011, after protests broke out across Syria against the Assad regime, and in January 2016 she began documenting the horrors of Aleppo for Channel 4 News in a series titled, “Inside Aleppo” which received an International Emmy for breaking news coverage.

Waad’s first feature documentary, FOR SAMA, documented her life over five years in Aleppo. The film, co-directed with Edward Watts, received worldwide critical acclaim, winning numerous awards, including the Prix L'Œil d'or for best documentary at Cannes Film Festival, the BAFTA for Best Documentary (the film was nominated in four BAFTA categories, making it the most nominated documentary ever) and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2020 Academy Awards®.

In 2018, al-Kateab and her family became refugees and settled in the UK where they continue to run their advocacy campaign, Action For Sama, which aims to raise the voices of Syrians, and awareness about the situation on ground, while seeking accountability for the war crimes committed by the Syrian and Russian regimes.

Waad has received several personal recognitions for her work as an activist and filmmaker, including the IDA Courage Under Fire Award and a place in the 2020 Time100 List of Most Influential People. In 2021, she was announced as the recipient of the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Waad’s second film, WE DARE TO DREAM, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 and received the Grand Prize Documentary Award at the Heartland International Film Festival. Her most recent film, DEATH WITHOUT MERCY, follows two Syrian families as they face the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in 2023 and will be released on Paramount + this year.

Director | Wafa Mustafa
Wafa Mustafa is a journalist, activist, and storyteller. She studied Humanities, Arts, and Social Thought at Bard College Berlin and has been committed to using media and storytelling as tools for advocacy and justice. As a journalist, Wafa has worked extensively to document the impact of forced disappearance, war crimes, and exile on women, Syria’s families and displaced communities.

Following her father's disappearance at the hands of the Assad regime in 2013, Wafa fled Syria and has since dedicated her life to ensuring that the voices of Syria’s disappeared are not forgotten. She’s The communications and advocacy Manager at The Syria Campaign and has been a non-resident fellow at The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) and Refugees International.

As a co-director of this film, Wafa brings her lived experience, journalistic expertise, and activist vision to shape a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally relevant. Her role is not only in front of the camera but behind it—crafting a story that amplifies the voices of those still searching for truth and justice in Syria.