Our Last Stand (2016)

In Our Last Stand, Helma, an Assyrian-American school teacher from New York, spends her summer vacation traveling to Iraq and Syria to help raise awareness about the plight of the Christian communities (Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac) threatened by civil war and ISIS. Helma's journey takes her from refugee camps struggling to care for Christians who have fled ISIS in Northern Iraq, to the small militias helping to defend and retake villages from ISIS in the Nineveh Plains and Hasakah, Syria, to Helma's family's hometown of Qamishli in Northern Syria. During her trip, Helma uncovers both heart-breaking and inspiring stories of grief, despair, persecution, courage and hope as she discovers what it means to sacrifice for her faith and community. This first-of-its-kind documentary will inform westerners, especially Americans, about the existence of these ancient Christian communities, the threats they face and the crucial role these communities play in the Middle East. By building awareness, Our Last Stand will help American citizens, policy makers and others stand in solidarity with the persecuted.