In the most desolate environments, humanity often finds a way to flourish. This sentiment serves as the heartbeat of Birds of War, a poignant documentary directed by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak. After securing a Special Jury Award at Sundance earlier this year, the film recently dominated the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, taking home four prestigious honors.
Finding Light in the Shadow of War
The film chronicles the improbable romantic connection between Janay Boulos, a Lebanese journalist, and Abd Alkader Habak, a Syrian cameraman. Their story began in 2016, bridged by a digital divide during one of the darkest periods of the Syrian civil war. While Habak was on the ground in the besieged city of Aleppo capturing the brutality of the conflict, Boulos was stationed in London, working for the BBC.
Their initial interaction was purely professional. Boulos required authentic footage to document the escalating violence, ranging from the devastating impact of aerial bombings to smaller, more resilient stories—like a man meticulously tending to a rooftop garden while missiles fell nearby.
Moving Beyond the Political Narrative
Originally, Boulos intended to create a clinical, political analysis of Lebanon’s complex landscape. However, during the production process at CPH:DOX, the vision shifted. Boulos realized that to truly resonate with a global audience, the film needed to move past dry political discourse and embrace the raw, human vulnerability at its core.
Collaborating with editors Will Hewitt and Claire Ferguson, the team restructured the film to center on the evolving relationship between the two filmmakers. By focusing on their personal bond, Birds of War provides a lens through which the broader tragedies of Syria and Lebanon become deeply relatable and visceral.
Breaking Barriers of Faith and History
The documentary does not shy away from the societal obstacles the couple faced. Boulos, a Lebanese Christian, and Habak, a Syrian Muslim, represent a union that defies long-standing sectarian and nationalistic tensions. The film explores the “tribalism” ingrained in the region, where religious and political identities often dictate social boundaries.
Boulos reflects on the irony that while the two nations share a language, cuisine, and culture, they remain fractured by decades of political meddling and historical trauma. This includes the legacy of the Assad regimes and the recurring cycles of violence that have haunted the South of Lebanon for generations.
A Message of Resilience Amidst Current Crisis
The themes of Birds of War feel tragically relevant today as conflict continues to escalate in central Beirut and Southern Lebanon. For Boulos, the documentary is more than a film; it is a vehicle for advocacy and a way to process the survivor’s guilt of watching her homeland suffer from afar.
Ultimately, Birds of War stands as a testament to the endurance of the human spirit. It proves that even when basic necessities like water and safety are stripped away, the fragile beauty of human connection remains a powerful force of resistance.
