9 Jul 2024

Mediha: The former Isis slave gifted a camera to film her own

From Nine To Noon, 10:05 am on 9 July 2024
Image of the Mediha film poster and photo of Hasan Oswald.

Photo: Supplied: DocEdge

Mediha was just 10 years old when Isis fighters took over the Yazidi town of Sinjar in 2014.

The violence and cruelty that followed has been well documented.

Less so, the lasting impact on those who survived it.

US filmmaker Hasan Oswald looks at a teenaged Mediha's attempts to heal.

She was reunited with two younger brothers, while a search for a third - just a baby when taken - is underway.

Hasan captures Mediha's attempt to bring her Isis captors to justice, but his film - also sees Mediha film herself and the life she now has, one where former captives are discouraged from speaking about what happened to them.

Hasan's film - simply entitled Mediha - opens this week as part of the DocEdge festival.