Movies of War

At the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, directors Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak presented their documentary “Birds of War,” a work that intertwines a deeply personal love story with the broader political upheavals that have shaped the Middle East in recent years. During a conversation with Asian Movie Pulse, the two filmmakers discussed the origins of the project, the transformation of their professional collaboration into a relationship, and the challenges of turning lived experience into cinema. Birds of War is screening at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival The story behind the documentary is closely tied to the filmmakers’ own journey. Boulos, a journalist who spent more than a decade working for the BBC, initially envisioned the project as a broader reflection on Lebanon’s political collapse and the wave of protests that shook the country. However, as the development process progressed, the focus gradually shifted toward something more intimate. The relationship between the two collaborators played a central role in that transformation. What began as a professional connection slowly evolved into a friendship and eventually into a partnership. According to Habak, the transition was not defined by a specific moment but rather by a gradual process shaped by distance, shared experiences, and collaboration. “For a long time it was just professional,” he explains. “Then it became a friendship, and from there it developed into something more.” Boulos agrees, noting that their relationship truly changed when they finally met in person in Turkey. Until that point, the idea of being together seemed almost impossible. Habak was still in Syria, while she was working abroad, and the physical and political barriers separating them made any personal relationship difficult to imagine. “It wasn’t until we met that everything changed,” she says. “Before that we were far away from each other, and I never thought we would really meet. But when we did, it happened very naturally.” Originally, however, the project was not meant to focus on their love story. Boulos explains that the first concept for the documentary emerged in 2023 and revolved around Lebanon’s revolution and the country’s economic and political collapse. Drawing on her background as a journalist, she wanted to explore the upheaval through her own experiences covering the events. As the project developed, though, Habak became increasingly present in the narrative. The filmmakers eventually realized that their personal story offered a powerful entry point into the wider political context. “We wanted to find a way to make the story more personal and emotional,” Boulos explains. “Instead of focusing only on politics, we realized that the most engaging way to tell the bigger story was through our relationship.” This shift in perspective shaped the final structure of “Birds of War,” transforming it from a purely political documentary into a hybrid work that combines personal storytelling with reflections on revolution, exile, and identity. The decision to pursue independent documentary work was also an important step in Boulos’ career. After spending nearly twelve years at the BBC, she felt it was time to explore a different creative path. “My experience at the BBC taught me everything I know,” she says. “I’m very grateful for that time, but I wanted the freedom to tell the stories that matter to me, in the way I want to tell them.” Leaving the newsroom environment allowed her to focus on long-form storytelling and more personal projects. While she continues to collaborate with major broadcasters, the dynamic has changed. Instead of working within predetermined editorial frameworks, she now chooses projects and partners based on the stories she wants to explore. “Birds of War” represents her first feature-length documentary, although both filmmakers have previously worked on shorter projects, including collaborations with Al Jazeera and the New York Times. One of the most emotionally complex aspects of the documentary concerns the aftermath of the Syrian revolution and the conflicting emotions experienced by those forced to witness events from afar. Habak describes the moment when the regime’s collapse seemed within reach as one filled with contradictory feelings. “It was happiness and sadness at the same time,” he recalls. “It was something we had dreamed about for years, but we were not there on the ground with our people.” For many Syrians in exile, the sense of distance from such historic moments created a deep emotional tension. Habak remembers thinking about how close he had come to returning to Syria shortly before the regime fell. At one point he had attempted to cross the border from Turkey, only to be unable to do so. “I always think about it,” he says. “If I had crossed the border at that moment, I might have been there with everyone when it happened.” That lingering sense of absence and displacement forms one of the central emotional threads of the documentary. Rather than presenting revolution as a straightforward narrative of triumph or defeat, “Birds of War” captures the complicated reality of living through political upheaval while separated from home. For both filmmakers, the project became a way to process those experiences while also sharing them with a wider audience. The personal dimension of the documentary ultimately serves as a lens through which larger historical forces become visible. By combining journalism, personal testimony, and cinematic storytelling, “Birds of War” reflects the intertwined nature of private lives and political events. At its heart lies the story of two people navigating love, exile, and uncertainty while documenting the transformations unfolding around them. The result is a documentary that moves beyond conventional political analysis, instead offering a deeply human perspective on revolution and displacement. Through their collaboration, Boulos and Habak demonstrate how personal narratives can illuminate the broader realities shaping contemporary history. Tags:Abd Alkader HabakBirds of WarJanay BoulosThessaloniki Documentary Festival