Amira's Children

“All we knew about this country was that it was in the middle of Europe, and that it didn’t like Muslims,” Amira recalls of her first contact with the Czech Republic. In 2015, after fleeing war-torn Syria, this country became a new home for her and her six children. This 10- year documentary follows the Alhariri family, as they integrate into Czech society, despite their different faith, culture, and traditions. While Amira becomes the cultural anchor of the family, her husband, Abdul, works hard in a small kebab shop. Their eldest son, Kenan, is scarred by his experiences of war, and struggles to find new values. His younger brother, Montaser, on the other hand, is clear about his inherited values. Son Adnan and daughter Zaina fit in perfectly with their Czech classmates from the first grade, while the youngest children, Hamud and Kamar, still have time to find their way. Amira knows what life in Europe has to offer, but she never stops believing in a return to her homeland.

“What Mecca means to Mohammed, this mountain Říp means to Czechs.” — quote from the film