POV opens its 30th season with three feature films and two shorts on a single topic: the Syrian war and global refugee crisis. The special showcase will follow events nationwide commemorating World Refugee Day on June 20.
The first of the special series, Dalya's Other Country, follows a young Syrian girl and her mother displaced by the conflict at home as they adjust to their new life in Los Angeles. The feature documentary will premiere with two shorts, beginning with 4.1 Miles, an Oscar®-nominated short spotlighting a small Greek town on the sea and the coast guard's daily efforts at saving thousands of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. For some refugees, new beginnings bring hope and opportunity. In From Damascus to Chicago, two young Syrian siblings resettle in Chicago and enroll in a dance class, while their family navigates a new city and new country. Dalya's Other Country and the two shorts have their national broadcast on Monday, June 26 on PBS.
The special series turns to the collateral damage of the Syrian civil war with The War Show and Last Men in Aleppo. Captured through the lens of radio host Obaidah Zytoon, The War Show, airing Monday, July 3, is a wrenching chronicle that starts with the country's protests in 2011 and the youth that fueled them, then follows its descent into violent conflict. Last Men in Aleppo, premiering Monday, July 10, unveils the war's terrifying aftermath, and the volunteer rescue workers and first responders known as the White Helmets who stayed behind to pull their neighbors from the rubble.
"During last year's submissions process, we noticed an uptick in films featuring stories of displacement in Europe and the Middle East," said Justine Nagan, executive producer/executive director of POV/American Documentary. "Meanwhile, elections here and abroad were throwing these issues into stark relief."
"Given this unique historical moment and the competing narratives around the Syrian conflict and migrants here and in Europe, we felt no one voice or film could adequately capture these involved crises. Though POV has always showcased storytelling of contemporary social issues, this series is exceptional in its breadth and scope. From L.A. to Greece to Aleppo, filmmakers across the country and around the world are showing how these events are truly global in scale, and how few are untouched by these developments. We're humbled to be able to bring these stories to American audiences this summer and continue the national conversation."