''Mediha'' is a 2023 American documentary film, written and directed by

Hasan Oswald Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

about Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad, who was kidnapped in the

Sinjar massacre The Sinjar massacre () marked the beginning of the genocide of Yazidis by ISIL, the killing and abduction of thousands of Yazidi men, women and children. It took place in August 2014 in Sinjar city and Sinjar District in Iraq's Nineveh Governora ...

and sold into

sexual slavery Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership rights, right over one or more people with the intent of Coercion, coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activities. This include ...

. Much of the footage in the documentary was filmed by Alhamad. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Doc NYC in New York City.

Plot

In the summer of 2014, when she was 10 years old, Alhamad and her Yazidi family were kidnapped from their village during the

in northern Iraq, by Islamic State (IS). She was sold into

among IS fighters. After she was released and living in a camp for

internally displaced people An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. A ...

in Iraqi Kurdistan, she met American documentary filmmaker Oswald. Oswald gave her a film camera and with it she told her family's story, as well as documented the challenges she faced after captivity. Oswald turned her footage into the documentary ''Mediha''.

Release

''Mediha'' had its world premiere on November 12, 2023 at Doc NYC in New York City.

Awards

*Grand Jury Prize, Doc NYC, New York City.

References

External links

* * Persecution of Yazidis in Iraq 2023 independent films American independent films American documentary films 2020s American films Kurdish-language films Films set in Kurdistan Autobiographical documentary films Documentary films about genocide {{US-documentary-film-stub