Screening with closed captions on April 29 and open captions on April 30
As the Syrian uprising intensifies in 2016, London-based Lebanese journalist Janay Boulos decides to hire the Aleppo-based cameraman and activist Abd Alkader Habak. Through their constant exchange of video reports and text messages, they work to shed light on what is happening on the ground—and start to fall for each other. In a love story for the ages, Janay and Alkader forge a bond across continents and, despite coming from different religions, countries and realities, they find a way to be together. While their romance is charming and heartwarming, reminding us of the joy of unexpected connections, the reality of war is never just a backdrop. Rather, the couple’s commitment to reporting on the conflicts in the Middle East is just as central to their story. Drawing on 13 years of personal archives, Birds of War is a testament to love’s capacity to blossom even in the darkest of times. Aisha Jamal