Following the emergence of a number of reports posing speculations on the storyline of the new film Zahret Halab, Tunisian star Hend Sabry reveals details on her role and the film's storyline, saying: "The film deals with the humanistic consequences of war, and how it changes people's lives and completely destroys it."

"Zahret Halab carries a humanistic message, not a political one. The film condemns war itself since war destroys everyone, regardless of the identity of the parties involved," remarked Sabry. The Tunisian actress also added, "The protagonist of the film and her son belong to an ordinary family, like all families, they have their own lives, problems and dreams.She leads an ordinary life; falls in love and goes mad at times, she gets married and then breaks up, but war is upon them, destroying everything; their old dreams, ambitions, and problems."

Hend also mentioned that the story has nothing to do with the so-called sexual jihad, as the film is based on an arduous human journey undergone by the heroine, a Tunisian mother whose son goes off to join the fight in Syria. She points out that the film is based on an Arab perspective of the war in Syria, as the Syrian tragedy is a calamity shared by all Arabs. She concludes saying, "When the conflict between political parties turns into an armed strife, regardless of the justification or goals behind which, it causes the destruction of the lives of ordinary people, including those who have been targeted to protect them and improve their conditions. And this is the message the film is trying to convey."

A few days ago, Tunisian star Hend Sabry began shooting her scenes in the film. Featuring a collaboration with her fellow citizen director Ridha Behi at the helm, the film is a special project for Sabry where she's joining as a co-producer for the first time through her Salam PROD., which was announced at Cannes Film Festival 2015. Also the film marks her come back to the Tunisian cinema. Sabry's scenes are planned to be completed over the course of six weeks.

In the film, plays Hend the role of a woman who goes through an arduous journey with the backdrop of the Syrian crisis. The filming locations are in Tunisia and Lebanon, with the participation of film stars from both countries, such as Hichem Rostom and Fatma Nacer from Tunisia, alongside Bassem Lotfi, Mohammed Al Rachi, and Jihed Zoghbi from Syria.

Sabry's participation in Zahret Halab comes as part of her plan to participate in several Arab films during the next months. She has already finished filming her scenes in the short Jordanian-German film The Parrot in addition to other film projects to be announced on a later date.

Recently, Hend was selected as Honorary President of the 1st International Arab Film Festival held in Gabès, which came to a close on Sunday, 18 October. The festival aims to introduce Tunisian and Arab cinema and disseminate and support film culture among youths becoming a link between the public and filmmakers, in addition to contributing to the diversification of film watching locations and sources.