“A Poignant, Decade-Spanning Portrait of a Syrian Refugee Caught Between Two Ideas of Home.”
Guy Lodge, Variety
“A Stunning Real-Life Refugee Epic” – Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine
“A coming-of-age tale where both the joy of freedom and tumult of assimilation test every family member’s bonds” - Jordan Raup, The Film Stage
Filmed over ten years, ONE IN A MILLION follows Israa from childhood to adulthood on an extraordinary journey from Syria to Germany — and back again. We first meet her at age 11 as she and her family are preparing to cross the Aegean Sea, risking everything in search of safety and a better life in Europe. What unfolds is a deeply personal chronicle of war, exile and heartbreak, as Israa grows up navigating adolescence, identity and belonging far from the home she was forced to leave. As Israa settles into life in Germany, new freedoms collide with the stabilizing pull of Syrian traditions, testing bonds and reshaping her sense of self.
This film bears witness to the remarkable trust between filmmakers and family, following Israa and her loved ones across borders, cultures and shifting circumstances. An intimate and nuanced coming-of-age story, ONE IN A MILLION illuminates the complexities of the refugee experience while asking a universal question: what does it truly mean to call a place home?
Directors: Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes (US 2026) 100 min
Director/s
Jack MacInnes
Born and raised in London, filmmaker Jack MacInness moved to Damascus where he met and ultimately married co-director Itab. His work has appeared on Netflix, BBC and PBS and received the Emmy, BAFTA, Peabody, Grierson, and Prix Italia Awards.
Itab Azzam
Itab Azzam is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and humanitarian. She works with Syrian refugee women in Lebanon and London on empowerment, education, and through therapeutic arts projects including, Film for Freedom, an initiative that trains refugee women in filmmaking. Born in Syria, she currently resides in London.
Special Guest/s
Israa
Israa was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 2004, the eldest of four siblings. She was just six years old when the Syrian civil war began and spent much of her childhood living on its frontlines. In 2015, at the age of 11, Israa and her family fled Syria in search of safety in Europe. Filmmakers Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes followed their extraordinary journey through eight countries to Germany. Now 22, Israa has been filmed for more than a decade as she has grown from a young refugee into adulthood, navigating family, identity, belonging, and the complicated meaning of home. Her remarkable story is at the heart of the documentary One in a Million.