Another Kind of Girl

17-year-old Khaldiya meditates on how the refugee camp has opened up new horizons and given her a sense of courage that she lacked in Syria.

9:29 / Za'atari Refugee Camp, Jordan / 2015

About the artist

Khaldiya is from Dara'a, Syria and now lives in Za'atari Refugee Camp in Jordan. This was her first time using a camera and making a film. Her film Another Kind of Girl screened at Sundance, Cannes, SXSW, and many other festivals. A version of the film was also featured on the New York Times Op-docs. Among other awards, she won a production grant for best new emerging filmmaker at Kassel Documentary Film Festival, and her film won Best Documentary Short at Greenwich Film Festival. She wants to use the power of storytelling to create change in her community and other communities around the world, so that they can improve their lives and society for the better and draw on their strength from each other, their experiences and their inner power.

“I want people to know outside of the camp that I’m filming from my own personal perspective. I live in the camp, I am within the camp, and I know the camp. An outsider will miss a lot of the deeper meanings because they haven’t felt what it’s like to live here. I want to show the rest of the world that even though we live in a refugee camp, and have different lives from others, we still have dreams and ambitions. We are creative. We strive to rise above our limitations and work toward our dreams. I feel it’s my responsibility not just to tell the world that truth, but to let people see it for themselves.”

CREDITS

Director & Cinematographer: Khaldiya Jibawi

Editors: Laura Doggett, Khaldiya Jibawi, Tasneem Toghoj

Workshop Facilitators: Laura Doggett & Tasneem Toghoj