As a London-based journalist working for the BBC, Janay Boulos reached out to Syrian activist and cameraman Abd Alkader Habak through a text message. She asked him simply if he could find a story and film it. The answer was yes. That exchange sparked an ongoing correspondence that changed both of their lives. 

Screening in the World Cinema Documentary Competition, Birds of War charts the relationship between Boulos, who is Lebanese, and Habak, which blossoms into a one-of-a-kind love story told through 13 years of personal archives. Although the film contains images of violence, revolution, and war, the throughline is the bond of true love and kinship between the filmmakers. 

“For me, it’s our personal archive because when Habak and I started working together and chatting and sending videos, at that time none of this was imaginable,” Boulos says following the film’s world premiere January 24 at Park City’s Yarrow Theatre. “I never thought that I would ever get to meet him. It felt very innocent and like an escape from reality. Now, when we see these videos, we kind of laugh at each other, we laugh at those moments. It’s funny how life sometimes just takes you in directions that you could never expect.”

Photographer and videographer Habak had been determined to chronicle the realities of the Syrian Civil War at a time when the Bashar al-Assad regime prohibited international journalists from visiting the country. He and fellow activists would routinely venture into unimaginably dangerous places, using social media platforms to post their coverage. Boulos first contacted him in the hopes that he could provide video to accompany BBC reporting on the events unfolding there. 

“They used to film with their mobiles, they used to film with their cameras and upload [what they had shot] on Facebook and YouTube, so the world could see their footage,” Boulos says. “Because we didn’t have access on the ground to Syria, we relied on activists like Habak. We used to reach out to them via social media and ask them to film for us. That’s how I got in contact with Habak.” She then adds, “I was working with several other activists as well — but Habak and I connected, I guess, on a different level,” laughing.

As the years pass on screen, the pair begin to confide in one another, their story growing more personal and intimate. Boulos becomes increasingly frustrated with the editorial strictures of the BBC; Habak is targeted after a photograph of him rescuing an injured child goes viral. Longing for family and connection and devastated by what’s happening to their homelands, each finds themselves at a crossroads. 

“A lot of moments in Lebanon, I couldn’t be there, and that’s what makes me want to be there more and more,” Boulos says. “Because when you live outside and you see your country in pain, there’s always a guilt of being in safety, and I think Habak can relate to that as well.” 

Now married, the pair embarked on the making of Birds of War three years ago, working with producer Sonja Henrici and editor Will Hewitt to help shape a story out of the 60 terabytes of HD footage Habak had amassed from Syria and beyond. They hadn’t planned, necessarily, to place themselves at the center of the film — that was something that took shape organically over time. 

“The film initially started as an idea in 2023 as a film about Lebanon, about the revolution in Lebanon, about Lebanese politics and my family and the struggle they were going through,” Boulos says. “Because Habak is my partner and the love of my life, he was going to be in the film, for sure, telling his story. … Through the process of developing the film, we were able to hone down what is the story, and the story is our love story. We were able to use this love story that we have to tell a bigger picture of what’s happening in both our countries.”

Adds Habak: “Sonja was a really big supporter of us because we are so close to the story. … Sonja was really an additional eye onto the big picture. It’s super hard sometimes to choose a part of your film — the new eye is always helpful.”

Standing beside Boulos and Habak, producer Henrici tells the rapt audience that she was eager to assist the filmmakers in any way she could. “It’s very easy to fall in love with them even when you just meet Janay and Habak,” Henrici says. “For me, who you work with … and how that relationship evolves as a working relationship and friendship [is important]. The generosity to even propose to share your love story to really illuminate something bigger, I couldn’t resist that. Obviously the region is of interest to us all. What struck me tonight was how we really need to stand up for what we believe in. It’s very powerful.” 

After 12 years with the BBC, Boulos says she’s grateful to be working independently with Habak, telling the stories that she feels the world needs to hear. When asked what she hopes audiences take away from the experience of watching Birds of War, she responds thoughtfully, hopeful that the film might inspire unity and deter division. 

“In this world, we see a lot of politics in the U.K. and the U.S. and everywhere where politics is trying to divide people, to separate us, to show if you’re a different religion, if you’re a different color, if you’re a different background, if you’re a different gender, if you’re a different sex, that means you’re different to me and we’re not similar and we should be separated,” she says. “But it’s through love and communication and empathy that we can fight and resist back and come together as humans. I think this is the message I would like people to take: Learn to love and be empathetic and not judge and hate.”