‘Children were wearing fake life jackets’: one Syrian family’s terrifying, 10-year journey

Documentary-makers Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes have followed Syrian refugee Israa and her family for ten years, from their dangerous flight from Aleppo to Germany and into her adult life. Their film, *One in a Million*, shows how a record of one family’s journey grew into a portrait of displacement, integration and lasting relationships.

In 2015, 11-year-old Israa travelled with her parents and siblings from Turkey to Greece in a dinghy, then continued through Europe to settle in Cologne. Her father feared for his children’s lives, while the film-makers witnessed families being sold fake life jackets. They kept filming after the family reached safety, documenting Israa growing up, marrying and having a baby.