‘Little Sinner’ Documentary Explores Syrian Woman’s Escape from Forced Marriage and Journey to Healing

A harrowing story of survival and self-discovery unfolds in “Little Sinner,” a new documentary by Daro Hansen and Thomas Papapetros. The film, which will have its world premiere on March 15 at Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX), chronicles Hansen’s two-decade-long journey from fleeing a violent forced marriage in Syria to confronting her past and finding a path toward healing.

A Daring Escape

In 2009, Daro Hansen, then a journalism student, devised a clandestine escape plan whereas in Damascus. Concealing a SIM card and mobile phone, she sent a message to friends awaiting her outside an exam building before going into hiding, desperate to escape a forced marriage that had turned violent.

From Syria to Denmark and Beyond

“Little Sinner” spans nearly two decades, utilizing an extensive archive of personal footage filmed across Syria, Denmark, Lebanon and Greece. The film details Hansen’s initial agreement to a temporary engagement intended to protect her family’s honor, which quickly devolved into a terrifying ordeal. She eventually escaped to Denmark with the help of Toke, a Danish boyfriend who became a crucial figure in her life. However, the psychological scars of her experience followed her.

The outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 brought Hansen’s trauma to the surface. Driven to help others, she traveled to Lebanon and Greece to assist refugees, repeatedly leaving the safety of her new life in Denmark to confront the suffering of others.

Confronting the Past and Finding Healing

Hansen’s journey led to a profound realization: the deepest wound wasn’t the violence itself, but her mother’s inability to protect her and her subsequent return to her abusive husband. This understanding forms the emotional core of “Little Sinner.”

“Meeting these people, their strength, their way of continuing to live made a deep impression on me,” Hansen told Variety. “In their stories, I recognized my own, but also something I had not yet dared to see. It became clear that I was actually doing the opposite to them: while they dared to stay in the pain, talk about it, and work through it, I was fleeing from my own.”

Hansen hopes the film will encourage others to confront their own pain. “If there is one simple message I hope people accept away from this film, it’s that they find a shorter way home to themselves than the one I did,” she said.

A Universal Story of Social Control

Hansen emphasizes that “Little Sinner” is not a story about religion, but about social control. “People often associate forced marriage with Islam, but this is about tradition. Social control exists in every culture – it’s here in Denmark, it’s in the U.S., it’s in China,” she explained.

Collaboration and Creation

Daro Hansen and Thomas Papapetros met in 2012 while working on a documentary about the Syrian conflict, where Hansen served as a translator. They later collaborated on filmmaking workshops with refugees in Lebanon. Papapetros began filming Hansen instinctively, recognizing the importance of documenting her experiences. Much of the footage was initially intended as a personal coping mechanism for Hansen, serving as a form of therapy.

After years of self-editing, Hansen and Papapetros enlisted editor Michael Aaglund to provide an outside perspective during post-production. The film’s natural conclusion came with the birth of Hansen and Papapetros’ son, Lukas.

Hansen defines the title, “Little Sinner,” as a quiet betrayal of oneself. “We learn very early in life to take responsibility for the atmosphere in our families and the relationships around us. We often go beyond our own boundaries for others, and in doing so, we forget to check in with our bodies and our gut feelings. Sometimes we forget ourselves completely – and that, for me, is the real sin. I forgot myself. I let myself down.”

“Little Sinner” is produced by Thor Hampus Bank for GotFat Productions, with support from the Danish Film Institute, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, the Western Denmark Film Fund, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, and International Media Support.