All language subtitles for Dounia.Et.La.Princesse.DAlep.2022.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC5.1-[YTS

On each branch, on each pebble,
on each stone,

I inscribed the world's sweetest news,
I scribbled on the sun's notebook...

I adore you.

If only you had read the news!

You're making fun of me? You are laughing!

Of course not, silly!

I love your poems!

Akh, you are so pretty.

Do you know what Leyla's
Mad Lover used to say?

No, but tickle our ears with your words.

Bright as a happy morning,

she is the moon that appears
between the dark wings of the night.

The moon is full, brace yourself,
it's about to start!

What is about to start?

Nour, eshou had!?

Don't be afraid.

Upon August's full moon,

the pistachio's shell
opens itself to the world.

That means it's ripe, ready to be picked.

You see, ever since I was a child,
I've come here to watch over the orchard.

Aleppo's first pistachio,
for my princess of Aleppo.

DOUNIA AND THE PRINCESS OF ALEPPO

Nine months later,
it was spring in Aleppo.

You see, Aleppo is very,
very old, and filled with secrets.

And great hiding places for the birds.

Spring is the season for rose jam.

I know it sounds strange,
making jam out of roses,

but in Aleppo, we love to eat.

Some people say that if
stones rained from the sky,

the women of Aleppo
would make jam out of them.

They're magicians.

I was born that morning.

While my mommy was giving birth to me,

Téta Mouné, who is her mommy
and has big blue eyes,

was holding her hand.

The souk was waking up, the shop
owners were opening their stalls,

and craftsmen were starting their day.

When I was born,
I let out such a loud, powerful cry

that I made the bells
of the cathedral ring

and I made the great mosque's
muezzin sing.

A turtledove came to my baba
to tell him I was born.

My baba is Nour;
his name means "the light."

He reads all the time
and knows so many things.

- When Nour speaks...
- Hi!

...the light shines in our spirit,

like my grandfather says, Jeddo Darwich.

Jeddo Darwich! Mabrouk!

- Mabrouk!
- That's it? Yallah!

Abdou, please keep the shop for me.

Drink it, my sweet,

I put some barake seed in it.

My baba, my mommy, my Jeddo
and my Téta all fell in love with me.

My mommy's name is Leyla.
That means "the night."

Her face was as sweet as the moon
and she had the voice of a princess.

You see, her mouth
is like a pistachio, so tiny.

And she has my hair.

I already love her like the whole world!

So we will call her Dounia!

Like the world!

Dounia...

Swing and play, play and swing
over the roofs of the kings

Over land and over sea,
take me Dounia, take me see

Little birdy in the tree, are you free?

Little angel on the branch,
where's your home?

Swing and play, play and swing
over the roofs of the kings

We will turn the eggplant gold
for our delightful jam

I loved playing with my mommy so much.

But one day, she got really sick.

And then she went to live
with the king of the clouds.

I can't remember all that;

I was too little when it happened.

Swing and play, play and swing

Over the roofs of the kings

Over land and over sea,
to all four corners please take me...

Dounia!

Get up, ya Doudé!

Dounia!

Dounia!

Ya Doudé!

Mamounieh?

Téta Mouné! Are you making mamounieh?

Sa7 al'nome, eye of your Téta!

Well yes, today is a very special day,
ya Dounia!

Come, I will show you
how to make mamounieh.

First, we bring
four cups of water to a boil.

What comes next, ya Téta?

We pour two large cups of sugar
into the water.

No more, or it will be too sweet.

And a cup of fine semolina
that I browned in butter.

And there it is, the mamounieh!

Mamounieh, mamounieh,

it's a delight, it's so light!

Mamounieh, mamounieh,

It's my secret, I won't tell.

Mix the semolina, with some sweet water,

Now that you know how,
let's make it together!

Mamounieh, mamounieh

Don't sweeten it too much,
it's buttered well!

Sprinkle some cinnamon,
sprinkle some pistachio

A delightful feast for you, my Mouné!

Sprinkle some cinnamon,
sprinkle some pistachio

A delightful feast for you, my Mouné!

Mamounieh, mamounieh,

Of all my secrets, this is your favourite

Mamounieh, mamounieh

It's my secret, I won't tell

Happy Birthday, Doudé!

Happy birthday, Dounia...

Happy birthday, Dounia!

Happy birthday, happy birthday...

Dounia is a year older!

Oh! Abouss roho!

Allah! He sings just as well
as Sabri Mdalla'l!

Yes, well, maybe,

but I don't like to see
birds locked up in cages.

A bird needs to fly, to live in the sky!

As a matter of fact, nobody
should be put in a cage.

Do you know how many prisoners
of conscience there are in this country?!

Nour, don't you start
with your political speeches.

These walls have ears.

You want to get us all in trouble?

And what will you call your canary,
my sweet?

I will call him Habibi!

Habibi!

Habibi, the canary!

It rimes!

Excellent idea, Dounia!

So they played every day
together on the bridge?

And after that, what happened then, Baba?

Then, during a moonless night,

war was declared between the two peoples.

The bridge between
the two shores was condemned.

Just like that, they weren't allowed
to play together anymore.

They had become enemies.

So before they went their separate ways,

they moulded a small two-headed statue.

They made huge eyes for it
so it could see the past,

the present and the future,

and one body so it would
be connected forever.

They walked all the way
to the top of the hill

to offer their statue to the Gods.

This is where men, women,

older folks and children would drop
their secret wishes.

And the war set in.

And one day, the war ended,

and the bridge between
the two shores was rebuilt.

So, Ay, who now had circles
all around his eyes,

reunited with Choum,
whose back was bent and worn by the years.

They picked up where they left off
with their fishing in the river

and lived till they got very old,

dying only a few days apart
in their newfound country.

That's how their wish was granted to them

and that their friendship was preserved

despite the devastation of war
and passing time.

And this ends my story!

Yallah Yallah.

It's time to go to sleep now.

Come on, hop into bed!

Who could come knocking so late?

- Nour The Pigeon-fancier?
- It's me.

What do you want?

- You need to come with us!
- But what do you want with him?

He has nothing to do with all this!

You back up, hajji!

Seize him!

Leave him alone!

No!

And since that day,
I haven't seen my baba.

ONE YEAR LATER

Jeddo says they put him in a cage

because he was flying too high,
like a bird.

School is coming upon the little one.

Habibi! Did you sleep well?

Birdseed for you, and some water!

No sugar.

Hey Georgette, like I once told you,

one dark moonless night,
they came and took him.

Ouakh...

Eh wallah.

Since then, no news at all.

And this poor little one
with no baba, no mommy.

Oh my dear!

Stay calm.

That's life! But you know what?

It is a blessing that you
and Darwich are still here

and healthy enough to care for her.

Yallah, finish your coffee.
I will read your cup!

What I see in this finjan

is strange and marvellous.

Ouakh ouakh ouakh.

Wait, let me see here,

Ah, a long road will open up for you...

a very difficult road... look.

But at the end of the earth.

What?

Open your mouth only on happiness!

At the end of the world...

I see a blue house in a country
as white as peace, ya Mouné.

And my son-in-law,
do you see when he'll be free?

No, ya Mouné,

but he is alive,
that is clear in your coffee!

Mrs. Dabbouss!

Please read in my coffee cup, too!

Dounia, since when do
little girls drink coffee?

Let her, Mouné, she's only had a sip.

You see, Dounia...

You are still little,
but you dance in the big world.

Place your thumb
at the bottom of your cup.

Your cup is as white as snow
and your future as bright as your eyes.

Inshallah!

It's time to work now.

If we do not start,
we will never finish the cheese.

Ouli 3ala ammmmti!

This is a disaster!

I am out of barake seeds!

You scared me for no reason...

But it's true.

We absolutely cannot make
the cheese without the seed.

What is this "labakay" seed?

The barake seed...

has great magical powers
that ward off evil.

Dounia, run to the souk
and get me some from Abdo!

Yallah!

Also, bring your grandfather home, please.

Darwich, you really are
always such a joyful chap!

Always!

I'll only remove my tarboosh in Heaven,
before my maker!

Inchallah, Darwich, inchallah!

Shh! Listen...

Watch out, Dounia!

Hello Sami!

Hello Abdo!

Give me half a kilo of 7-spice.

A thousand hellos!

As you please, sister.

Sweet pepper, black pepper, cardamom,

cinnamon, cloves, ginger
and a tiny bit of nutmeg.

That comes to 7!

And an 8th secret ingredient

Oh! What did you add?

Ttt. I cannot tell you that.

It's a herbalist secret,

passed down by my father Abou Abdo,
may he rest in peace.

That comes to one hundred liras.

What? A hundred liras?!

I bought a kilo
a month ago for fifty liras.

Sister,

it gets harder to get goods
at a decent price.

Is it my fault if the whole world
is conspiring against us?

Listen, you are our customer
and our customers are important.

Go ask other spice vendors.

If you find cheaper,
I'll sell it to you half price!

Dounia! Ow, ow, ow,
you're stretching my neck, Jeddo.

You forget my bones
are older than Aleppo's citadel.

What are you doing there, Doudé?

Greetings, our little Dounia!

- What's new?
- Abdo, I don't have time.

I have to get the barake seed to Téta,

because or else,
evil will eat up all the cheese!

Wakh wakh...

But that is terrible.

Your grandma is right.

The seed of barake is magic.

Here.

Dounia, can you hear?

That's the bird in my belly talking.

Oh, oh oh oh there he is!

Oh, abouss roho!

But why is the birdie bird singing, Jeddo?

See, that means I'm famished.

Yallah, let's run on home!

You see, Dounia, this was
Téta Mouné's home when she was little.

What about you, you knew her then, Jeddo?

Wallahou, Dounia,

we grew up together, your Téta and I.

And right here, I wrote
"I love you" to Mouné.

Almost sixty years ago. Let's see...

Ah, here it is. Still there.

Every morning,

I would pick a small bouquet
of jasmine, like this, just for her.

But so Jeddo, Téta,
she is your sweetheart?

That's right, Dounia.

Ouli! What love story?

When I married Darwich,
we were so timid, the both of us,

we barely held hands!

You love your old Darwich.

Darwich and I were born
in the same alley, the same day.

We were born together
and we will die together.

Inchallah!

Shlonék khayto. Hello!

Take this thing out of your hand, Lina!

Téta, you brought me enough barake seeds?

Bismillah!

There you go, the cheese
is prepared for the year.

We'll come back
for the pomegranate molasses!

Yii, the pomegranate
just barely blossomed.

We'll need to wait till the end of summer
for the fruit to ripen.

This morning, two car bombs exploded

in front of Security Headquarters,
south of Damas.

According to the Minister of the Interior,

the vehicles contained
more than a ton of explosives.

Akh akh akh akh.

I'm afraid we are heading
straight toward a catastrophe, ya Mouné.

Things are not good,
things are not good at all...

Yii! Again!

Ya rab!

Quiet, Darwich,
you will worry the little one.

Anyway, what is written is written.

Fatmé! Do you have batteries?

Mine is almost empty!

Who has matches?

As if we needed that power failure!

Power up!

Whoa! That's cold, Téta!

Dounia, make an effort!

That's all the water
we have left for today...

No water the last three days,

barely a few hours
of electricity a week...

Everybody's on board the boat!

We're ready to go to Treasure Island!

The sea is calm,

But a great big storm is brewing...

Huge waves are coming
at the boat, like this...

Bass! Here! This is for you!

Look! The boat didn't even sink!

It's getting closer to Treasure Island.

Oh! The passengers are saved.

They can find refuge on the island.

Hey, children!
Stop fiddling in that water. It is soiled!

Sami, go home to your mama. It is late.

Dounia, come to the roof with me.

The Moon is full...

We will make eggplant jams.

To make the jams,

the eggplant needs to sit
all night in the moonlight.

But why?

Because the moonlight will cook them
without burning them.

That way, they'll stay tender
before we drop them in the sugar.

So the Moon is magic?

Like the barake seed?

No, the barake seed
is much more magical...

Though it is very small,
it wards off evil...

Dounia! Mouné!

Ow ow ow!

Oh no, don't you dare start complaining!

The trouble has only just begun.

Dounia!

Mouné!

Darwich!

Take a breath.

No need to fear.

We are in a safe place here.

Téta, you're shaking!

No, ya Téta is just old, that's all.

Don't worry about it.

Téta, is it true about the war?

There is no war.

You will sleep and tomorrow,
all will be fine.

Oh, but why does she say that?

No!

She just wants to spare the precious one.

Sooner or later, she will find out.

Children know everything. You know that!

Téta, but why is my baba in prison?

Because in this world,
there is much injustice, my cherished one.

But forget all that. You will see.

Very soon, your dad will be back with us.

Tell me the story
of the Princess of Aleppo!

You have heard it
a million times, Dounia...

Please, I forgot it all
because of the explosion!

They say the night lights up
the spirit, and it is true.

I hold the truth of this
in the story I will tell you now.

When the nights did not yet have moons

and they were so dark that we thought
they would never end,

there was a young woman
with a luminous face

and hair as shiny as the Milky Way.

Her name was Leyla,
the Princess of Aleppo.

One day, Leyla went
for a stroll along the seaside.

That day, there was a lot of wind...

Gusts of wind that blew so hard,
so strong, that her scarf flew away

and her hair came loose,
long and wavy like the waves.

On the other shore,
high up on a very big mountain,

up in the clouds, lived a king.

A king who saw Leyla's scarf
land on his knees.

Inside Leyla's scarf was one single hair.

A long black, shiny hair.

Fascinated, the king thought

this hair and scarf no doubt belonged
to a very bright woman.

For the king was afraid of the dark

and needed advice
on how to make it through the night.

So he called for Leyla
to be brought before him.

And since that faithful day,
Leyla sits beside the King of Clouds

and she is the one who,
every night, lights his nights,

and ours,

with the stars in her hair
and the sweet Moon of her face.

Touté touté, kholssét al hatouté!

That's beautiful!

Balderdash and silliness

we tell the children
to hide the truth from them.

My brothers have all left
the country already.

If this goes on, they'll have me
come to their home at once!

I sure hope it doesn't come to that.

Pass me that knife for a second?

Hello, Mouné!

Darwich, going to the souk?

I hear the destruction was terrible
and that they cut off access.

Exactly.

I'm heading there to see.

How courageous!

I wouldn't go anywhere
near the citadel if I were you.

Mouné, come have coffee,

and try on your dress.

I don't feel good about this.

You be very careful,

Darwich, please, come back quickly.

Hey! You can't pass, hajji!

But since when can't I move around
freely in my own city?

Who told you you could speak, huh?
This is war time.

Come. It's time to head for home.

I have seen enough.

Jeddo, I don't like the war.

Nobody likes war, ya Dounia.

Not even the soldiers.

So why do they make it then?

Because their hearts are parched.

A thirsty heart shrinks down
like a raisin, like a dried-up grape.

It can't see or hear anymore.

It completely loses sight
of the difference between what heals

and what hurts, you see?

So we should bring them to the hammam
to water their hearts!

Dounia, Dounia, you're a little magician!

Ah, if only it were that simple, ya Doudé.

If only...

Jeddo, will the war destroy everything?

Will Aleppo disappear?

Doudé sweetie, Aleppo is old, very old.

It has seen pretty much everything,
you know.

And yet look,
the citadel is still standing.

It watches over us.

And we the people of Aleppo are strong.

We never lose hope.

No, Jeddo, Aleppo will not be destroyed.

That won't happen.

It's just not possible.

- Sami!
- Dounia!

But little man, you should not roam
the streets like this.

It is not safe for you these days.

You are brave, my little Sami.
But you be careful.

Min?

It's Darwich.

I'm here to bring Mouné home!

Ah, but why didn't you say that
right away?

Ya Mouné! I see your husband

and granddaughter are here
to bring you home.

I'm coming, yallah. Come with me.

Holy Virgin Mary...

It's coming from the side of your house!

...at the hands of rebels
three weeks earlier.

A car bomb went off near Central Hospital

killing at least 30 people
and injuring 64 among civilians,

including women and children.

Residents of the bombed
areas are trying to flee

and are heading toward northern Syria
by the hundreds.

But what did you put in there?

It's full to the rim!

Don't you get involved
with women's business, Darwich.

I'm only taking a few things,
nothing at all!

Mshalalé cheese, olives,
makdous, some jams, basterma,

Aleppo pepper, a few spices and some nuts.

What do you expect us
to do with all that, Mouné?

Leave everything behind.

Let's travel light!

I didn't bring my record player.

Yet you know I cannot live without music.

We can live without music.

We cannot live without eating!

You prefer to waste all the Mouné

I spent months preparing?

We never know when we might need it.

We can survive without music...

Music is the fuel of the soul!

Did you see everything she packed?

The suitcase will break.

Yallah!

It is not enough.

There are five of you.

The three women, you, and the little one.

Well, it's all we have left, my son.

You should be ashamed,

making money off people
in this time of war.

What is going on?

I need to pay the border patrollers
that will help you across the border.

There are five of you
and mister only paid for three!

Here, take this.

Is that enough now?
Yallah, get us out of here quickly now.

Very well, ma'am. I will take you
all the way to the Turkish border.

I have made arrangements
with customs officers.

They will let you through.

As soon as you get to the other side,
you'll be able to reach the coast.

From there,
you will cross the sea to Europe.

- Oh!
- Yallah...

Many have done it
before you, it will be okay.

THE SEA!?

Calm down, it will all be okay.

Jeddo, I don't want to leave.

I don't want to leave our home!

Jeddo, we never leave our home,
do you know why?

No. Why, Jeddo?

Because your home is the whole wide world

and you carry it right here,
in your heart.

Watch out!

Yallah!

Let's go.

Sami!

Don't you worry, my sweet moon,

Sami will go with his mamma
to their village.

I know it's hard to leave.

Salam, my friends!
Beautiful day, wouldn't you say?

Not really, you know...

Salam my son,

you too are leaving the country with us?

Yep...

It has become too dangerous
around here. The world is ours!

My name is Djwane.

- Who are you?
- Dounia!

Dounia!

That means "the world"!

You know you have a cute name?

And the girl with the pretty red hair,
what is her name?

Lina!

Ayn Dara, the temple of Ishtar:

goddess of love and fertility!

She's a giant.

When she walks around,

the Earth trembles all around
and it tickles the seeds in the soil.

So they germinate
and plants grow aplenty...

You heard what he said?

Silly little coffee cup stories!
Old wives tales!

Everybody knows giants don't exist!

Here we are. I don't go any further!

What?

And here go the problems!

Hey you! We paid so you would
get us across the border!

You will not leave us here
in the middle of nowhere!

We have old ladies and children with us!

So, you getting off?
I have lots of things to do.

You see that shack way over there?
Right after that, it's Turkey.

Walk straight in front of you.
You will get there.

I told you I didn't like this one!

Imbecile!

We should burn his moustache!

Oulak Akh! Akh! Akh!

But what will happen to us?

That is our path, Dounia,

we must take it, despite its difficulties.

Now let's go.

Let me pull the suitcase for you, hajji.

Yallah Abdo.

Yallah! Onward!

I smell something burning,
don't you smell that?

Let me see if I smell it.

Hey! You!

Nobody move!

Still wearing that, grandpa?

Look at him. He's still in 1910.

I will count to three

and you will go back where you came from.

Psst, Dounia!

The barake seed.

- One!
- Yes!

It's magic!

Two.

Three.

But what can that be?

An earthquake?

What the heck is that?

But where did they go!?

- So...?
- Nothing.

I don't know where they went.

But they can't be very far!

It's my uncle Joseph in Germany.

He says a man will wait for us
on the coast of Izmir at 6

to board the boat to Greece.

He paid the smuggler?

We are almost out of money!

Yes, Mama.

That means we need
to take the bus to the coast

as soon as we get to Izmir.

Each step forward takes us away from home.

This heat is unbearable,

I can't breathe!

Good idea, Djwane!

Oh Rozana, oh Rozana,
you were so full of goods

What have you done to us,
may you be punished

Oh Rozana, oh Rozana,
you were so full of goods

What have you done to us,
may you be punished

That's not bread there!

Stop being so difficult, Georgette!

I know Turkish bread is thicker than ours,

but it will be delicious
with a little rose jam.

You see, Darwich?
It's a good thing I brought some food!

Come! Taste!

Téta, why didn't the lady let her son
have a bite of your sandwich?

They are afraid of us because
we are sitting in the street.

They don't know we have lost everything
because of the war.

They should just read the news.

The whole world is talking about it!

Oh, that's our bus! Time to go!

Here, Dounia, eat.

We still have a long way to go.

Sweet pepper, black pepper, nutmeg,

cardamom, and then cinnamon,
cloves, ginger...

red pepper?

Galangal?

Tt-tt-tt.

Don't even try, you'll never guess.

I will tell you one day.

Once we are set up and know we are safe.

Our new home, it is in Greece, Jeddo?

In Greece or elsewhere,

I'm not sure where it will be yet, Dounia.

For now, we are a little bit like birds...

And the sky is the same
for all the birds in the world...

Abdo, hold the little one
for a second while I fix my veil.

Watch your step, Mouné. It's steep.

Lina, hold my hand.

Look, there's the smuggler!

The winds are getting stronger.

We should leave now to avoid the storm!

That is our boat?

Put on your safety vests. Let's go!

But why do we put on safety vests?

We can't all fit in this thing!

We have to, Abdo,
it's the ocean or the bombs.

That's not coming with us.

- Too heavy.
- No!

Yii! Mouné, be reasonable!

My zaatar, my jams,
my pistachios, the best cheese...

She is right about that.

We really made
the best cheese ever this year...

You'll replace all that, Mouné, I promise.

You will make the best cheese in the world

when we get to our new home!

Get on, one at a time please!

Get on first with Shams, Nisrine...

Lina, hold my hand.

I don't want to get my feet wet!

Where in tarnation did
that one go already?

Ay! Time to go.

Stick with me.

Be brave, come on!

Yallah! Let's go!

Jeddo, I'm scared!

Dounia, let the ocean rock you.

It is as sweet as a mommy,
the mother of the world.

It's over! Adios, world!

Adios, life!

Good-bye, Choum,
till I see you in Paradise!

Breathe, you'll say good-bye later,

we're immortal!

Are we still far from the coast?

Hold on to the sides of the boat!

Ya 3adra, do not let us down!

Dounia, Dounia!

The Princess of Aleppo!

Dounia, don't be afraid...

You are even more beautiful
than in my dreams!

That's because you see me
with the eyes of your heart.

The heart's eyes see everything,
even what is hidden.

Can they also tell
where my new house will be?

Yes, my little bird.
You will find your house.

And my baba?

Your baba, too,

but you must call them
as loud as you can with your heart,

until they finally hear you.

And I will always be there,

as long as there are stars in the sky.

Don't be scared.

Sleep now.

Sleep, my little bird,
I'll watch over you.

Swing and play, play and swing

Over the crowns of kings.

Over land and on the sea,

to all four corners please take me...

Jeddo, Téta!

It's the isle of treasures!

Nisrine, wake up! We are saved.

Ay! Wake up, you numbskull!

Huh? We're already in Paradise?

Have you ever heard
of seagulls in Paradise?

Open your eyes!

Ah, it's beautiful!

My friends, let me welcome you to Greece!

Hold my hand, I'll help you disembark.

Melon poison!

We're saved, Choum!

To our new life!

My baby soap-bird!

You weren't too afraid?

You still smell of sweet Habibi,
like the house in Aleppo!

Yallah Dounia, come with me!

I just can't wait to get
to my brother's house in Germany.

We must quickly get to the port.

We will cross the island
and head over to Athens.

I wonder how they make cheese in Greece.

We crossed the whole island on foot

through the hills.

We walked in the sun
without eating all day and,

at night, we got to the port...

We got on a very big boat.

We got off in Athens.

There, we met a bunch of people.

We left all together,
and we walked along the train track.

Baby Shams made his first baby steps,

without holding his mama's hand.

We slept along the side of the road...
and we didn't eat much.

At the end, I was so tired
and my feet hurt.

And we finally got here.

And touté touté kholsét al'hatouté.

That's our story!

And you know what?

My tooth is loose.

I think it's going to fall out soon.

Me? I've already lost two teeth.

And my daddy told me
he'd get me some ice cream

when we get to our new country.

Me? My baba's in prison...

and my mama is
with the King of the Clouds.

Oh!

So you have nobody to take care of you?

Sure.

I have my Jeddo and my Téta Mouné.

It's hard to leave.

But I mean, how could we have stayed?

But you know, never our country leaves us

when we carry it with us.

You know the story
of the tree and the boat?

It says we all yearn for two opposites:

the need for a boat,
which means travelling, freedom...

and the need for the tree,
which is about roots,

a home, an identity.

We are always torn
between these two needs,

till the day we come to understand
that it's with the tree...

that we can build the boat.

I like the way you see things, Djwane.

Our roots that give us wings
to explore the world.

It gives us new hope.

So we walked longer
than my old bones could bear...

and we ended up here.

Hey there, you lovebirds!

Dounia! Don't you be so silly!

Jeddo, I'm cold!

So there you go.

We are like you.

Stuck here between
the Greek and Macedonian border,

two countries we do not know.

My friend,
we have camped here a whole week

and all our protests
have not made them open the border.

Where are you hoping
to go if they let us through?

Straight to my brother's in Germany.

If this trip doesn't kill me!

Germany too. I have a mate over there.

Let her live her life, Mrs. Dabbouss.

Djwane is a good fellow.

- He's a musician!
- Lah!

We are going to find
Nisrine's cousins in Sweden.

Sweden is a good country
to raise the little one.

And to make him a little brother
or a little sister.

We'll see about that.

I have my hands full
with this one already!

And you, my friend. Where will you go?

Us?

We know nobody and nobody knows us.

The world is a big place.

God willing, we'll find asylum somewhere.

For now, we hardly have enough
to eat or board a train...

Ttt. No no, Habibi!

Stop, Dounia, you will make me cry, too!

Ouakh!

If you start, Mouné,
you'll get me started!

Ttt. Dirty war has left
our lives in shambles.

Don't cry, Dounia.

Choose a song and I will sing it.

I-I don't know any songs...

No songs at all? I can't believe that...

Let me sing something
that will warm your heart...

Djwane, play
"Dounia wants a little house" for her.

Did you see that?

Next to that,
the Turkish border was child's play.

You think they're going to let us through?

Or that they'll send us back to the bombs?

Oh no, that would be terrible
for the little one!

The end of the world!

Oh, Choum, I'm crumbling!

Choum, am I crumbling?

Of course not, you silly drama queen!

We've been around for five thousand years.

We haven't said our last word.

Come with me
instead of being such a karakoz.

- Let us pass!
- Open the border!

Come on! Open the border!

- Open the border.
- Open the border!

- Open the border!
- Open the border!

Open the border!
Open the border! Open the border!

They are wasting their spit!

They won't open the border
unless there's a miracle!

Retreat, everyone!

The little one is exhausted.

Oh! Don't cry, Shams!

You made baby Shams cry!

He hasn't slept in his bed in days,
he hasn't had good milk,

he's cold, he's hungry,

he's afraid and he's just a little baby!

Your hearts are tiny
like little dried raisins!

Yes!

Allah 3aleik ya Darwich!

Look! It's a whirling Darwich!

Yallah! Music is fire
for the soul, my friends!

Ah! The Danube!

A mythical river!

It flows through many countries.

It even goes to Germany.

At least, he doesn't need
to show a passport!

There's Budapest Station!

Mouné, take the train with us.

My brother said they accept
all migrants in Germany.

Ninety eight,

ninety nine,

one hundred!

Passage closed!

Papers. Passports.

Oh! Putrid pepper!

That's it. We've hit the number
of migrants that can pass.

Step back! Step back!

Don't worry about us!

Yallah! Go ahead, you will miss the train!

Darwich, take the money.

No, no, it's okay, Abdo!

You don't know how long
you will all be stuck here.

Think of the little one.

Thank you, Abdo.

Yallah, go to the four corners
of the earth

so everybody can discover
your famous 7-spice mix.

By the way,
what is your secret ingredient?

Darwich, ask me anything you want,

except to reveal my secret ingredient,

it is passed down
from generation to generation!

Mouné, I will send news
as soon as I make it to my brother's.

Inchallah Georgette, inchallah!

Hold on to your tarboosh!

I'll only take it off
when I make it to paradise!

- See you soon!
- Have a nice trip, everybody!

- Bye, baby Shams!
- Salam! Have a nice trip!

Isn't this nice?

This will be our nest until we find
a house that needs to be lived in.

Houses need to find people, Jeddo?

Of course, Dounia.

Houses have souls
and they are looking for us, too.

Everything you look for
is looking for you.

Rosalie, it's fall now, it's getting cold,

I brought you a tuque.

It's a cute little house.

I inherited it from my grandma.

I set out to renovate it completely
before winter

but I don't know who's gonna live in it.

This is a small town
with more houses than people!

Just like Algeria.

Everybody deserts the villages
to live in the big cities.

Are you safe at least?

When will you make it to Germany?

We are still stuck in Budapest.

A problem of maximum number
of immigrants to pass.

We have our hands tied for now.

So all we can do is wait.

Finally, alhamdoullilah,
we are still alive, huh?

Choum, it's time.

Everything's fine for now.

Hello, Dounia!

Huh? Stones that can talk?!

We are more than silly little stones.

My name is Choum.

I'm 5560 years old exactly.

Sixty-one! Tomorrow it'll be 61!

This is Ay, he's my age but...

As you can see, he's not
the sharpest tool in the shed.

I know!

You're the wide-eyed statues
like in baba's book!

That's us!

Dounia!

You know we were there
when you were born?

And when Téta Mouné was born,

and when Téta Mouné's Téta
was born and when Téta...

Okay! She gets it!

What you must know...

is that we are so old that we have seen
pretty much everything.

What are you doing?

I'm writing a letter
to our new house so it can find us.

But that is brilliant!

But this letter will need wings
if you want it to fly somewhere.

Real wings??!

Ah! My little soap-bird from Aleppo!

My little bird, you have wings,

you can fly and bring the letter with you.

Maybe he is hungry.

We can't do much when we are starving.

Oh, I know!

Here, my little bird!

Munch on this barake seed!

How beautiful!

Daddy! Mommy!
A letter just fell from the sky!

Ah. You have
a lot of imagination, sweetie.

But it did, look!

That's pretty weird!

It looks like a letter from a child
but written in a foreign language!

Hey, that's Arabic!

What does the letter say, Karim?

Listen. I will translate.

"Dear new house, it's me Dounia.

I am 6 and a half and I lost
my country because of the war.

I am in the train station
with my grandparents in 'Dubabest'.

We have no place to go.

House, if you find our letter,
please call us!"

Oh! There is a phone number at the bottom.

Oh well, I think this house
has found its family.

Salam Alaikum, my friend!

My name is Karim

and I am calling from Canada!

I am with a family who received
a letter from little Dounia!

Huh? A letter from Dounia?!

- Yes.
- What letter, Dounia?

There is a house for you in Canada.

Shh! Oh wait, wait, wait...

A home for us in Canada?

A home?

Baba habibi,

it's been a year since Jeddo,

Téta and I have made it to our new house.

I am 7 now; I've already had
two birthdays without you.

Dounia!

I have a new friend.

Her name is Rosalie.

She has red hair
and a bunch of stars on her face.

I really like to play with her.

Lina and Djwane are engaged.

They are in Germany with Mrs. Dabbouss.

She calls Téta Mouné every day.

Yes, Mouné!

I started making the kibbeh!

Yii, did you find burghul on your end?

Baby Shams is still just as adorable

and now he runs all around the house.

He will soon have a little sister.

Abdo sells his 7-spice mix in Sweden.

Jeddo says he will make a fortune

thanks to his secret ingredient
that makes his mix so magical.

And... a barake seed.

Every day, I think about Aleppo,

the citadel, our house, my canary
who is now up in the sky, and Sami.

I hope he is alright
and that he thinks about me, too.

Baba, I love you;

I miss you very much,
like the whole world.

I called you during my whole trip.

I asked for news from you;

I asked the trees, the seashells,

the rivers, the birds,

the planets, the stars,

and even the Princess of Aleppo.

I am sure she will
guide you straight to me.

But in the meantime, you are like a bird.

And the sky is the same
for all the birds in the world.

And don't be afraid
even when it's very dark

because the Princess of Aleppo
will always be there,

as long as there are stars in that sky
and that the moon appears.

Touté Touté kholsset al Hattouté!

According to the UN,

more than 6.6 million people
have fled Syria since 2011

and another 6 million have moved
within the country itself.

Although this film tells
the reality of many Syrians since 2011,

this is a fictional story.

The characters, events and situations

are purely imaginary,
metaphorical or symbolic.

This film is dedicated to Aleppo,
a thousand-year-old crossroads city,

whose tangible
and intangible heritage is threatened

and to its inhabitants,
whose resilience is exemplary.