Wajd: Songs of Separation follows three Syrian musicians whose lives are transformed by war, displacement and separation from home.
Filmmaker Amar Chebib travelled to Damascus and Aleppo in 2010, initially inspired by Syria's traditional sacred music. After the uprising began and the conflict escalated, the film changed direction. Wajd became a portrait of three musicians navigating displacement, memory and belonging through music.
Through their stories and performances, the film considers what music can carry when home, place and daily life are disrupted.
About the Director
Amar Chebib is a Syrian-Canadian filmmaker working across fiction and nonfiction. His films explore intimate human stories within larger social and political realities, and his work has screened at SXSW, Tribeca and DOC NYC.
Event Details
Seating: General admission, no assigned seats
Content Warning: This film contains themes of war, displacement, separation from family, grief, and emotionally distressing material. Viewer discretion is advised.
Presented by Small World Music as part of ISHQ Festival 2026.
ISHQ Festival is made possible thanks to funding in part by the Government of Canada, Canada Council of the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, the Province of Ontario, and Toronto Arts Council.
ISHQ Festival est financé par le gouvernement du Canada, Conseil des arts du Canada, le gouvernement du Ontario, Conseil des arts du Ontario, et le Conseil des arts de Toronto
Wednesday, December 2
7:00 p.m.
Small World Centre · 180 Shaw Street
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