A Decade of Exile Captured on Film
The decade-long odyssey of a Syrian family—from the wreckage of Aleppo to the quiet suburbs of Cologne—reaches UK and Irish cinemas on November 6. One in a Million traces the life of Israa, who was just 11 years old when she fled her home in 2015. What began as a record of the refugee crisis transformed into an intimate study of growing up, marriage, and motherhood in a new land.
From İzmir to the Streets of Cologne
Documentary-makers Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes first encountered the family in İzmir, Turkey, as they desperately raised funds for a boat passage to Greece. The lens followed them through a perilous sea crossing and a grueling trek across Europe. As the family settled in Germany, the filmmakers stayed, capturing the quiet shifts in domestic power. Tarek, once a restaurateur in Aleppo, struggled to find his footing, while Nisreen, Israa’s mother, emerged as an increasingly central figure on camera.
Azzam and MacInnes Funded the Project Through Personal Debt
The production was a feat of sheer persistence. Azzam and MacInnes spent three years chasing financial backing, eventually funding the project themselves. They juggled full-time jobs while accruing roughly £40,000 in personal debt to ensure the story reached the screen. Their commitment allowed them to move beyond the headlines, documenting the specific pressures of integration alongside the universal complexities of adolescence.
A Return to a Changed Aleppo
The film reaches its conclusion with a poignant homecoming. Following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, the narrative captures Israa’s return to Aleppo. Now in her early 20s and training for a career in local government, she looks back at the voyage that defined her childhood with newfound clarity.
“As a child I wasn’t really aware how dangerous it was,” Israa told The Guardian. “But now, when I remember, when I watch the movie, I can see it was a really dangerous trip.”
The Family Today
Israa remains in Germany, living outside Cologne, where she is raising two children while preparing for a role as a civil servant, marking the final chapter of a ten-year journey that fundamentally reshaped their family unit.