A ballad, narrates poetic stories in short stanzas, hence this self-reflective musical documentary mirrors’ the life of Maisa Alhafez a musician and a Syrian refugee living in Istanbul. The film is about her longing to her loved ones as she tries to make a place for her self in the world of the displaced. Her family still in Syria, Maisa's true love (fiance) is in the Netherlands. As of the current EU-Turkey border regime, to unite is very challenging. Not giving up, Maisa works hard for her vision to transform the borders; by building a multicultural community “The oriental Istanbul Mosaic Choir”. A diverse family that sings together, in which she believes through music and love one can heal the wounds of her people and children.

Filmin Türkçe Özeti:
Bu öz-sorgulayıcı müzikal belgesel, Suriyeli müzisyen Maisa Alhafez’in İstanbul’daki hayatına ayna tutmaktadır. Ailesi halen Suriye`de olan Maisa, her seye ragmen Istanbul`da kendine yeni bir hayat kurmaya calisir. Aidiet, kayip, varlik ve yoklugu sorgulayan Maisa`nin hayatinin aşki (nişanlısı) ise Hollanda’ya goc etmistir. Katılaşan Avrupa ve Türkiye sınır politikalarindan ötürü biraraya gelmeleri guclessede Maisa, sinirlari donusturme hayalinden vazgeçmez . Kurduğu çok sesli Istanbul Mozaik Oriental Korosu ile birlikte halkının ve çocuklarının yaralarıni sifa bulmaya calisirlar.

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Festivals & Awards & Screenings>

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• Award of Recognition, by Hollywood Independent Documentary Film Festival, May 2017, California (USA).

• Outstanding Achievement Award for Free Speech, by Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, India, May 2017.

• Finalist at TRT DOCUMENTARY Awards (11.000 Euro money award) Istanbul Turkey

• Official Selection Ballad for Syria, Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Media Film Festival, USA.

• Official Selection Ballad for Syria BELFAST Human Rights Film Festival, 9th of August, Ireland.

•  Screening Ballad for Syria at Tolpuddle radical film festival, UK 

• official selection at DOCUMENTARIST , Istanbul-Turkey, June 2017

• Official selection at DOCfeed, Eindhoven ,The Netherlands February 2017

• Official Selection at Impact DOCS Awards May 2017, Italy

• Roma Cinema Doc, Italy, June 2017

• official selection, Largo Film Festival 2017

•  XXVI International Festival of Ethnological Film, Belgrade, Serbia. October 10-14 th, 2017.

• Debut Theater, Tropen Museum Amsterdam theater cinema house, Nov 12, 2017

• Erase & Rewind Photography and film screening exhibition, TAK Yeldegirmeni 25 October 2017

• Istanbul ınternational architectural and urban Films festival, 28 October 2017

• Emerging filmmakers Official Selection at Global Migration Film Festival , December 2017

• UN Geneva special screening , Switzerland February 2018

• Impact-Hub Istanbul ,2017

• Ethnokino, Reitschule in der kino , Bern Switzerland , 2018

• Koc University Istanbul June 2017

• Bogazici University Nov 2017

• Binghampton University, Nov2017 New York USA

• Global Migration Film Festival, Geneva, Peru, Indonesia, Check Republic, Jordan, Egypt Dec 2017 

• Which Human Rights Film Festival , Istanbul Dec 2017

• Tutun Deposu Screening, Tophane Istanbul Dec 2017

• Best Documentary Film, Feel the Reel International Film Festival 28th of January Bucharest, 2018

• Middle Eastern Women Film Fair, Dubai March 2018

• Filmmor Women Film Festival, March 2018

• Cambridge University, Woolf Institute, 29th of October 2018.