Film Forum will present the US theatrical premiere of Hasan Oswald’s MEDIHA, opening on Friday, October 11.

Mediha, a 15-year-old Yazidi girl, roams the fields surrounding a refugee camp in Northern Iraq with a camera, making intimate, poignant video diaries.  Captured by ISIS and sold into sex slavery at age 9, Mediha Alhammad was traded among four different men, while her mother went missing, her younger brothers were also enslaved, and her entire community systematically murdered.  In his sophomore feature, Hasan Oswald (HIGHER LOVE) sensitively tracks the devastating aftermath of her escape and survival, empowering Mediha to share her experience through her own eyes and voice, as she seeks legal justice with the help of Yazidi rescuers and mounts a courageous search for her mother, and, most of all, fights for healing.

MEDIHA had its world premiere at the 2023 DOC NYC where it won the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award (runner-up). Oswald was named one of DOC NYC’s 2023 40 under 40, celebrating emerging talent in the documentary world, including directors, producers, cinematographers, and editors.