Through the eyes and ears of  Nahel, Ferhad, Ahmed and Issa the war in Aleppo and its complexities unfold.

Caught on a wave of ideology and hope, these four men take very different roads in the growing chaos and deadly clashes that sweep through the city.

Nahel organized the first underground protests in Aleppo. Ahmed joined the Free Syrian Army after he fled his compulsory military service in Assad’s army. For Ferhad, the revolution, occupation, violence and inconceivable dilemmas evoked post-traumatic stress disorder. The ensuing breakdown compelled all of them to leave the country. While Issa remained for a time, he too, confronted by the fighting military in his street every day, chose to flee.

The backdrop to their compelling accounts is unforgettable images of a city whose utter devastation is filtered through an icy haze.  Syrian singer Jawa Manla’s mournful voice and song echoes the personal tragedy of Nahel, Ferhad, Ahmed and Issa whose homeland may be lost to them forever.  http://halal.amsterdam/item/a-stranger-came-to-town/ Competition IDFA for Best Dutch Documentary https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/bf7f1f99-1371-4ed5-a0b5-d9e2ac4a75c8/a-stranger-came-to-town

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