Little Sinner
Daro Hansen & Thomas Papapetros / Denmark / 2026 / World Premiere / 90 min
20 years of deeply personal recordings compiled into a raw and unfiltered journey from Damascus to Denmark, depicting a Syrian woman's relentless struggle against violence, betrayal, and her own past.
As a young woman, Daro falls deeply in love with Toke, a Danish exchange student in her beloved hometown of Damascus. But when her family’s honor is threatened, she agrees to a pro forma engagement to a Syrian man. A relationship that develops into a violent forced marriage. With Toke’s help, Daro manages to escape in the hope of leaving the nightmare behind and starting a new life in Denmark.
But even in safety, the past casts long shadows. When the Syrian civil war breaks out in 2011, Daro’s repressed traumas are brought to the surface. She is drawn to the escalating refugee crisis and travels to Lebanon and Greece to help others. Her husband and the security of her new home country slip further away as she sinks deeper and deeper into the pain she has been trying to escape.
Through 20 years of personal archive material, ‘Little Sinner’ reveals Daro’s final realization. In order to heal, she must face the past. Here, Daro realizes that her mother herself carries heavy traumas from her own childhood, but unlike Daro, she is unable to break free.
