Once rescued, the women are brought to the Yazidi Home Center, where Mahmud’s family helps them begin the long process of shedding the physical and mental trauma of their captivity. Documentary Style and Impact
Hirori utilizes a "white-knuckle" filmmaking style, placing the audience directly inside getaway cars and alongside the rescuers during tense standoffs. The film won the in the World Cinema Documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival . subtitle Sabaya (2021) WEB-DL
The 2021 documentary Sabaya , directed by Hogir Hirori, chronicles the perilous rescue missions led by volunteers from the Yazidi Home Center to free Yazidi women and girls held captive as sex slaves ("sabaya") by ISIS supporters in Syria's Al-Hol refugee camp. Once rescued, the women are brought to the
Al-Hol is depicted as one of the most dangerous camps in the Middle East, housing roughly 70,000 displaced individuals, including thousands of unrepentant ISIS supporters. Within this "mini-caliphate," Yazidi captives are hidden in plain sight, forced to adhere to strict ideologies and live in constant fear of retribution. The Rescue Operation: Mahmud and Ziyad The 2021 documentary Sabaya , directed by Hogir