Lebanese journalist Janay Boulos is working for the BBC in London when the Syrian Civil War breaks out. With reporters prohibited from entering Aleppo, she searches for someone who can provide an on-the-ground look at what was happening in the city — a search that leads her to Syrian activist Abd Alkader Habak, a cameraman filming from the frontlines. At first, their messages are practical: footage, updates, proof. Then the calls get longer.
Told through 13 years of phone videos, voice notes, texts, and news footage, Birds of War documents the love story of co-directors Boulos and Habak as their connection deepens and the urgency of their communications intensifies: Boulos waits in London, checking for signs that Habak is safe; Habak continues filming as the world around him breaks apart. A single message becomes proof of life. A missed call sparks fear. Winner of Sundance’s Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact, Birds of War is the story of a relationship where every scrap of correspondence carries weight.
Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact: World Cinema Documentary Competition, Sundance 2026; FIPRESCI Award for Best Feature Documentary, Thessaloniki 2026; Audience Ward: Grand Angle, Visions du Réel 2026
Media Partner
Community Partner
The Boulos family, The Habak family, Waad Al Katheab, Hamza Al Khateab, Al-Quds Hospital, The White Helmets
UK/Syria/Lebanon
2026
In Arabic and English with English subtitles
At Alliance Française & International Village
At Fifth Ave
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Claire Ferguson, Mark Thomas
Producer
Sonja Henrici, Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak
Screenwriter
Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak
Cinematography
Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak
Editor
Will Hewitt
Original Music
Harpal Mudhar, Darren Sng
Janay Boulos
Janay Boulos is a Lebanese journalist and filmmaker with extensive experience documenting the Middle East. From 2012 to 2021, she worked for BBC News across television, radio, and digital platforms. In 2021, she founded Habak Films with Syrian filmmaker Abd Alkader Habak. Boulos has produced documentaries for BBC News and Al Jazeera Arabic, bringing Middle Eastern stories to global audiences. Her professional development includes IDFA Project Space, Documentary Campus Masterschool, and Sheffield DocFest’s Future Producer School. In 2023, she received the IDA Logan Elevate grant.
Abd Alkader Habak
Abd Alkader Habak (“Habak”) is a Syrian cinematographer who documented the Syrian conflict over six years (2011 to 2017). Working in dangerous environments, he collaborated with BBC and CNN as a cameraman and field producer. His work during the siege of Aleppo — before fleeing in 2017 — resulted in extraordinary archival footage documenting the Syrian revolution and war. Now based in London, Habak continues in the documentary medium. His recent short Syria’s Last Chapter (2024) was commissioned by Al Jazeera Witness. He is currently in production of a feature documentary called Until the Buzzing Stops.
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