Birds of War

Birds of War
Directed byJanay Boulos
Abd Alkader Habak
Written byJanay Boulos
Abd Alkader Habak
Produced bySonja Henrici
Janay Boulos
Abd Alkader Habak
CinematographyJanay Boulos
Abd Alkader Habak
Edited byClaire Ferguson
Will Hewitt
Tanya Singh
Music byHarpal Mudhar
Darren Sng
Production
companies
Habak Films
Sonja Henrici Creates
Distributed byDogwoof
Release date
  • January 24, 2026 (2026-01-24) (Sundance)
Running time
85 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Syrian Arab Republic
Lebanon
LanguagesArabic
English

Birds of War is a 2026 documentary film directed and written by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak, and produced by Sonja Henrici, Boulos, and Habak. It premiered in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact.

Premise

The film follows the love story of Boulos, a London-based Lebanese journalist and Habak, a Syrian activist and cameraman, who met in 2016, when she was a BBC journalist seeking footage and he was a freelance cameraman in Aleppo during the Syrian civil war. The film is composed of 13 years of their personal archives spanning revolutions, war, and exile.

Festival Release

Birds of War premiered at the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. In December 2025, Dogwoof acquired the sales rights for Birds of War.

In March 2026, it had its European premiere in the International Competition at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.

The documentary was the closing film for the Berlin Human Rights Film Festival, participated in the Wide Angle competition at Visions du Réel in Nyon, Switzerland, and had its Canadian premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in the World Showcase category. It also screened in San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, Fort Myers Film Festival, DOCLANDS Documentary Film Festival and Seattle International Film Festival in the USA.

In June, 2026, the film had its UK Premiere at Sheffield DocFest where it received a Special Mention in the Tim Hetherington Award.

Additional festivals include Amman International Film Festival (Arab Premiere) Busan International Film Festival (Asian Premiere) and Vancouver International Film Festival.

Theatrical Release

The UK theatrical release for Birds of War, led by Dogwoof, took place in July where the film was released in major cinemas across the UK and Ireland including a Premier at the Curzon in Soho.

Birds of War will be released in US theatres via 8 Above Films .

Awards

Birds of War won the Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival where it has its World premiere.

Following its European premiere at the 2026 Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival, Birds of War won four awards: the Silver Alexander in the International Competition, the FIPRESCI Award for Best Feature Documentary, the Human Rights in Motion Award by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Women in Film and TV (WIFT GR) Award for a Female Contribution Behind or in Front of the Camera.

The Audience Award at 57th edition of Visions du Réel also went to Birds of War by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak which was part of the Wide Angle competition.

In June, 2026, the film had its UK Premiere at Sheffield DocFest where it received a Special Mention in the Tim Hetherington Award.

References

  1. 1 2 "Birds of War". 2026 Sundance Film Festival (Eventive). Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "2026 Sundance Film Festival Unveils 97 Projects Selected for the Feature Film and Episodic Program". Sundance Institute. December 10, 2025. Archived from the original on July 26, 2026. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Sundance Film Festival Announces 2026 Feature Slate, Including Competition Titles". Filmmaker Magazine. December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Documentary Romance: 'Birds Of War' Director Janay Boulos On Love Story That Unfolds Against Backdrop Of Bloody Conflict – CPH:DOX". Deadline. March 19, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Eye For Film: Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak on bringing their relationship to screen in Birds Of War". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Archived from the original on February 13, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  6. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (December 16, 2025). "'Birds of War' Boarded by Dogwoof Ahead of World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Carey, Matthew (March 19, 2026). "Syria Lebanon-Themed 'Birds Of War' Tells Unlikely Love Story". Deadline. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Announcing Our 2026 Sheffield DocFest Award Winners | Sheffield DocFest". www.sheffdocfest.com. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Birds of War | VIFF 2026". Vancouver International Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 27, 2026. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Barraclough, Leo (June 11, 2026). "Sundance Prizewinning Documentary 'Birds of War' Sells to Several Territories, Lines Up Oscar-Qualifying Run, Debuts Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Impact - Birds of War". June 14, 2026. Archived from the original on September 2, 2026. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 30, 2026). "Sundance Film Festival Awards Winners: 'Josephine' Takes U.S. Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ Carey, Matthew (March 15, 2026). "'Closure' Wins Top Award At Thessaloniki Int'l Documentary Festival". Deadline. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  14. ↑ Pedersen, Lise (April 24, 2026). "'From Dawn to Dawn,' 'Alea Jacarandas' Top 57th Edition of Visions du Réel". Variety. Retrieved May 1, 2026.