Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo

Six-year-old Dounia must leave her hometown in Syria and embark on a dangerous yet magical journey, helped along the way by the Princess of Aleppo.

Dounia lives with her family in war-torn Syria, and after her mother's death, she grows up with her father and grandparents. Despite the difficult conditions in the country, they have what they need to live. This changes when her father is imprisoned and their home is bombed. Together with their neighbors, the small family flees Syria.

They embark on a dangerous yet magical journey, helped along the way by the Princess of Aleppo and some magical seeds. The film is beautifully and simply hand-drawn and addresses serious themes like war and displacement. It is easy to understand and accessible for children, handling these themes with care through the use of myths and supernatural elements.
 

«The film’s gentle charm is in part to do with its pleasing, economically graphic animation style.»
– Screen Daily –

Red.

DOUNIA | Double Screening at Urtegata 11

We are screening two children's films about the Syrian girl Dounia's journey from Syria to Canada. The films will be shown at the bike workshop in Urtegata 11 on Saturday, April 5. Both screenings are completely free!

Program: 

12:00 – Screening: DOUNIA AND THE PRINCESS OF ALEPPO | The film is in Arabic with Norwegian subtitles.

14:00 – Screening: DOUNIA: THE GREAT WHITE NORTH | The film is in English with English subtitles.

This event is done in collaboration with Urtegata.co at UG11.

Director

Marya Zarif, born in Syria, studied communication and theater in Canada. She co-created The House of Syria (2013) and co-founded I Want to Play (2015). In 2020, she created the web series Dounia, which led to the feature film Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo (2022). André Kadi, a French comic book creator and musician based in Canada, directed MaXi (2017) and L’Agent Jean! (2018) and co-directed the Dounia series and feature film.

This film is part of