Oswald gave Alhamad the camera to film her life and her familys search for other kidnapped family members.
Camera was my best friend, I always say Alhamad said at DeadlinesContenders Documentaryevent.
She was my best friend.
I called the camera she because I dont have a sister, thats why.
It was making me feel so good and so strong.
We allowed them to just be kids, Oswald said.
What are we filming today?
Alhamad gave an update on her siblings also featured in the film.
Two of her three brothers are in school.
They are doing well in school too, she said.
As for all three, They are in Iraq.
They are doing well.
The 2014 attack was the 74th in the history of Yazidi people, and continues.
Alhamad got to travel the United States and the world attending film festival screenings ofMediha.
She sat through every screening.
The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Doc NYC.
Oswald hopes viewers recognize the people behind the stories they hear on the news.
This is not a film of sexual enslavement, ISIS, refugees really, he said.
This is a coming-of-age story of a young girl in the hills of Iraq.
Thats what we wanted it to be.
While not minimizing the trauma she experienced in captivity, Oswald felt Alhamad showed his cameras more.
This is about Mediha and what her people went through, he said.
They are so much more than captives.
They are an incredible resilient group that hopefully we can all help improve their lives in some way.
Check out the panel video above.
