Entertainment · Film · 2 hrs ago
One in a Million Follows a Syrian Refugee Family Through Change
Filmmakers Jack MacInnes and Itab Azzam followed a Syrian refugee family for more than a decade for their documentary, One in a Million.
During filming, their daughter Israa, then 14, told them that her father, Tarek, had hit her.
The filmmakers made sure Israa had support, while her mother, Nisreen, asked them not to tell others and said the family would handle it.
Nisreen later left Tarek and raised their four children alone, and the film follows her encouraging other women to leave unhappy relationships.
As Israa grew older, she embraced Islam and wore the hijab; the filmmakers said they had to question whether they were assuming her dreams should match their own.
The documentary follows Israa through marriage and a reconciliation with her father, who later acknowledges his abuse and begins rebuilding a relationship with her as a grandfather.
It also follows the family’s first visit back to Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024.
The filmmakers’ experience raised questions about how to document someone’s life while respecting their choices, and the story shows how the family’s relationships changed over time.
One in a Million follows Syrian refugee Israa and her family over more than a decade.
Filmmakers Jack MacInnes and Itab Azzam began documenting Israa when she was 11 and her family was preparing to move from Turkey to Germany.
When Israa later disclosed that her father, Tarek, had hit her, the filmmakers faced questions about how to protect her while continuing to document the family.
Her mother, Nisreen, left Tarek and raised their four children alone.
The film follows Israa through changes in her faith and family life, including marriage, motherhood and reconciliation with her father.
- Who
- Syrian refugee Israa and her family, followed by filmmakers Jack MacInnes and Itab Azzam.
- What
- The documentary One in a Million follows the family’s life and changes over more than a decade.
- When
- The filmmakers began following Israa when she was 11; the story later follows her at 21. Exact dates are not stated.
- Where
- The family moved from Turkey to Germany; Tarek later lived in a refugee camp. The film also follows the family’s visit to Syria.
- Why
- The filmmakers sought to document the family’s lives while considering how to protect Israa after she disclosed abuse.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
MacInnes and Azzam began following her as her parents decided to move from Turkey to Germany.
She disclosed that her father, Tarek, had hit her.
The documentary picks up with Nisreen having left Tarek and raising their four children alone.
The filmmakers followed her through marriage to Mohammed and a visit with her family to Syria.
Tarek acknowledged his abuse and began rebuilding his relationship with Israa as a grandfather to her son.
- Filmmakers
- Jack MacInnes and Itab Azzam
- Subject
- Israa, a Syrian refugee
- Filming period
- More than a decade
- Children
- Nisreen raised four children alone after leaving Tarek
- Israa’s age
- 21 in the later part of the film
- Destination
- The family moved from Turkey to Germany
What people are saying
In the first part of the film, he really is a heroic father
The fact that she emerges from the shadows and finds herself — finds her voice — is such a key part of the story
We were obviously worried
Don’t tell anyone. We want to deal with this ourselves,