Only two years into the Syrian war, over 3,500 journalists travelled through Camp Za’atari to tell stories of the Syrian refugees, forced to live in exile in Jordan. Filmmaker Laura Doggett wanted to start a project that countered the largely black and white, often tragic, telling of the refugee experience in the media.

Travelling to Za’atari, she organised workshops that engaged Syrian girls in technical training in video, enabling them to tell their own stories. Another Kind of Girl is the end result of these workshops, and give an entirely different viewpoint than that offered by mainstream media.

LSFF presents a rare chance to see the complete Another Kind of Girl collection, followed by a panel discussion exploring the portrayal of refugees in the media, and projects that endeavour to challenge mainstream rhetoric.

Panelists include Another Kind of Girl facilitator Laura Doggett, Florence Burton of Women Speak Out, and Olivia Humphries, a documentary maker working in radio and film and producer on ‘Yomeyat: Audio Diaries from Syrians in Europe’

Panel hosted by Sheyma Buali. Sheyma works across the spectrum of cultural content production and film exhibition with a focus on the Middle East. She is currently Director of the BBC Arabic Festival. Her writing has featured in a number of edited volumes, international publications and exhibition catalogs.