Someone Else’s War

Title
Someone Else's War
Date
April, 2019
Category
Short Film
Anna, Jac and Kosta are three young Brits from very different backgrounds who have died fighting as volunteers against Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria. Someone Else’s War follows the journeys of their parents as they seek answers to why their children left home to fight against the world’s most feared terrorist organisation.
 
To date at least 20 British nationals, some with no previous experience of combat, have travelled to Syria to fight ISIS on the frontline. Eight of them have lost their lives. What led these young Brits to risk everything, travelling thousands of miles to fight 'someone else’s war'? And with returning fighters facing terrorism charges back in the UK, how should their actions be perceived?
 
A year in the making, this film for The Guardian's award-winning Documentaries strand started as a one-sentence pitch to commissioning editor Charlie Phillips, and ended as a 30-minute film that launched internationally online and screened at festivals around the world. It also took us on an epic journey into Northwestern Syria, just months after parts of the country had been under ISIS control, an experience that will stay with us forever.