“IN THE FACE OF WARS, GENOCIDES AND OTHER ATROCITIES, DOES ART-MAKING SERVE ANY PURPOSE? DAVID HENRY GERSON'S DOCUMENTARY, 'THE STORY WON'T DIE,' ANSWERS WITH A RESOUNDING YES."

THE STORY WON’T DIE, from Award-winning filmmaker David Henry Gerson and Academy Award winning producer Odessa Rae, is an inspiring, timely look at a young generation of Syrian artists who use their work to protest and process what is currently the world’s largest and longest ongoing displacement of people since World War II. 

Rapper Abu Hajar, together with other celebrated creative personalities of the Syrian uprising, a Post-Rock musician (Anas Maghrebi), members of the first all female Syrian rock band (Bahila Hijazi and Lynn Mayya), breakdancer (Bboy Shadow), choreographer (Medhat Aldaabal), and visual artists (Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam and Diala Brisly), use their art to rise in revolution and endure in exile in this new documentary reflecting on a battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression. It is an uplifting and humanizing look at what it means to be a refugee in today’s world, and offers inspiring and hopeful vantages on a creative response to the chaos of war.

THE STORY WON’T DIE premiered at 2021 Hot Docs, went on to screen at AFI Docs, Watch Docs, and won Best Director at Doc LA and Best Feature Doc at FIC Autor Guadalajara.

Directed by David Henry Gerson

Produced by Odessa Rae

Executive Produced by Katherine Embiricos LeFrak

Co-Produced by Abdalaziz Alhamza, Colleen Ritzau Leth and Martin Marquet

Co-Executive Produced by Omeed Malik, Marco Rotunno, Alexandra Schueler, Tauck Ritzau Innovative Philanthropy and Elaine Thomas

Cinematography by Luise Schröder

Editing by Christopher Robin Bell and David Henry Gerson