Children of the Enemy

Sweden, Denmark2021documentary99'Konkurs dokumentalny (2021)

Patricio Galvez’s daughter was an ISIS bride – one of young European women who converted to Islam and married ISIS fighters. After Amanda’s tragic death her father starts the fight to recover his seven grandchildren who are staying in a refugee camp in Syria. When it turns out that accepting the children of a jihadist is a problem for the Swedish authorities, Patrizio decides to play a lone hand. The film, reminiscent of a thriller at certain moments, is a recording of a bravado action and the enormous determination of a man who wants to pluck children out of hell. The winner of the FIPRESCI AWARD at the 61st Krakow Film Festival "for its strong and passionate portrayal of the Swedish-Chilean grandfather Patricio in search of his seven neglected grandchildren in the al-Hol refugee camp in Syria. Children of the Enemy raises important ethical questions around human guilt, responsibility and inheritance of trauma while avoiding a one-sided perspective on the complex political issues and showing how the European political diplomacy didn’t play the most elegant role in humanitarian efficacy."