Sara
Switzerland, Iran | 63min | 4K | Color
Logline
After losing her right leg in a Turkish bombardment, a Kurdish girl living as a refugee in Iraq rebuilds her life through art and rehabilitation while her family struggles to secure asylum and safety in Europe.
Synopsis
Seven-year-old Sara loses her right leg and her brother in a Turkish bombardment of Qamishli, Syria. Forced to flee with her Kurdish family to Iraq, she endures surgeries, learns to walk with a prosthetic limb, returns to school, and begins painting to express memories she cannot put into words. Her art gradually becomes a voice for other children affected by war. While Sara dreams of becoming a doctor, her family seeks asylum in Europe for advanced medical care and safety. Their application is rejected, and her father leaves alone for Germany, hoping to reunite them.
Director's Statement
I often ask why innocent civilians—especially children—pay the highest price for wars they did not choose. In Kurdistan, generations have grown up shaped by fear, loss, and uncertainty. Sara is one of them. When I ask about the moment that changed her life, she says, “I don’t remember anything.” That absence is a powerful testimony to trauma beginning before understanding can form. As a filmmaker, I believe cinema can listen when words are missing. This film does not explain war; it remains with its consequences, asking what future we are creating for those who will inherit it.
Director Harde SAMIR
Harde Samir Murshid is a Kurdish actor and director from Kirkuk. A graduate of the Sulaymaniyah Institute of Fine Arts, he has worked across theatre and cinema, focusing on Kurdish storytelling and cultural expression.
Producer Elaheh NOBAKHT
Elaheh Nobakht is a pioneering Iranian producer whose films have screened at Berlinale, IDFA, Hot Docs, and ZagrebDox. Her credits include Dreams’ Gate, The Apple Day, Silent House, Holy Bread, and Beloved.