Born in 1991, Waad al-Kateab is a Syrian film-maker and journalist. In 2019 she directed the documentary For Sama, which told the story of the battle for Aleppo as a letter to her daughter. The film won a Bafta for best documentary and was nominated for an Academy Award, and Al-Kateab’s reporting for Channel 4 during the conflict won an International Emmy. Since fleeing Aleppo in 2016, she has lived in London with her husband, doctor Hamza al-Kateab, and their two daughters. Her latest film, We Dare to Dream, about athletes competing in the Olympic refugee team, is in cinemas now.
1. Food
Kibbeh safarjaliyeh
In Aleppo we’re famous for our cuisine. This is a very traditional dish that’s sour and sweet at the same time: there’s pomegranate in the sauce, sliced quince, and lamb cooked for a long time so it’s soft and juicy. You eat it with kibbeh, which is bulgur mixed with meat. It tastes amazing. After the displacement, this dish became my signature. My friends have stopped doing it at their home because they always like to have it when they come to us. I lost my home in one sense, but I’m trying to recreate it in my life in different ways.
2. Place
The Phoenix Garden, London WC2
When I came to London, everything in my mind was about Aleppo and what we lost. A couple of years ago we watched [Paul Feig’s] Last Christmas – I watch a lot of drama and tragedy so it’s not my type of film, but it made me look at London in a different way. It really resonated with me – I’ve seen it over 15 times now. This is the garden from the film, and I go there every time I’m in Soho. When I walk by that place I feel like it’s really special. When someone comes to visit I always take them there.
3. Author
Khaled Khalifa is very famous in Syria for his deep political novels and stories. When the revolution started he stood up for people, and that was very dangerous to do. He’s really someone I admire. His book Death Is Hard Work has been translated into many languages – I’ve seen a lot of people here reading it. It touched a lot on what I’ve been through, and it became something many people can relate to. He died this year and I regret the fact I never got to meet him and have a conversation with him.
4. Nature
Bougainvillea
When I was looking for a house to get married in in Aleppo, under the shelling and bombing, I saw an abandoned house with a beautiful bougainvillaea coming out of it. After weeks of looking we found the owner’s number, and he let us rent it if we took care of the house. I love the way bougainvillaea grows, its fiery pink colour: for me it represented life in the middle of destruction and death. When we left, I took a piece of the flower with me. It didn’t make it, but I’ve become obsessed with making bougainvillea grow in our house in London.
5. Game
I came across this game when we were going to Tokyo to shoot my second film and one of the crew brought it with her. It was during Covid and we weren’t allowed to go outside except for filming, so we played this all the time. The game is based on not picking the card that will make you explode. I enjoy playing it so much. Also, I love to cheat, and I know how to do it without anyone noticing, but then I love to tell people I did. I’m very competitive. I usually win.
6. Radio
Because I come from a very different culture, I was always more interested in Arabic music, but Heart was my window to this new life here. We spend so much time listening to it, and I get to know so many new singers. I went to Reading festival with my friends this year, and I knew so many of the songs without even knowing: Imagine Dragons, Becky Hill. It ended up being a really nice day. I know people like to listen to the BBC in the mornings – I’ll be listening to Heart.
