
Avalanche Productions, based in Cardiff and London, was founded by Sara Nourizadeh and Matthew Barry to produce premium unscripted content and entertainment.
FINDING HOPE, Avalanche Productions' inaugural commission, will premiere on BBC Wales and iPlayer on January 19 2025.
Welsh-Iranian film-maker Sara Nourizadeh follows the story of teenage refugees Zari and Ali as they begin to rebuild their shattered lives with the help of remarkable charity worker Marjaneh Halati (Marjie).
Sara’s journey takes her from North Wales to Turkey as she reveals how Marjie confronts the trauma of her own childhood to give Zari and Ali the second chance they deserve. Forced to flee Afghanistan in 2011, Zari and Ali are struggling to care for themselves and each other in a new country, and Marjie’s work as a psychologist and psychotherapist is put to the test as she seeks to win the young refugees’ trust.
Back in North Wales, Marjie returns to the old boarding school she attended when she was 11 and which was the source of much unhappiness. It is Marjie’s experience at the school as a young girl that has shaped and informed her charity work to bring refuge to hundreds of misplaced and abused young girls and women. Can she accept the trauma of her past and help Zari and Ali seek a brighter future?
Film-maker Sara’s hard-won access to Marjie’s challenging work means she can shine a light on the broader refugee crisis - and its devastating effect on younger generations - and also celebrate the enduring impact of empathy and resilience in overcoming life’s most profound challenges.
Sara is an Iranian/Welsh creative director and producer with extensive experience in non-scripted content. Highlights include the Grierson-nominated AGONY AND ECSTASY: A YEAR AT THE ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET, BAFTA winning series ROSS KEMP IN AFGHANISTAN, BAFTA nominated series KIDS WITH CAMERAS for ITV and the critically acclaimed Channel 4 series LONDON’S GREAT BRIDGES: LIGHTING THE THAMES.
Matthew Barry is a Welsh screenwriter and executive producer. Credits include THE GUEST, MEN UP, INDUSTRY, THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, DEATH IN PARADISE, CUCUMBER/BANANA, EASTENDERS, CASUALTY, HOLBY CITY and WATERLOO ROAD. Future adaptations include Beth Lincoln's debut novel THE SWIFTS for Netflix and the movie adaptation of Mac
Matthew Barry is a Welsh screenwriter and executive producer. Credits include THE GUEST, MEN UP, INDUSTRY, THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, DEATH IN PARADISE, CUCUMBER/BANANA, EASTENDERS, CASUALTY, HOLBY CITY and WATERLOO ROAD. Future adaptations include Beth Lincoln's debut novel THE SWIFTS for Netflix and the movie adaptation of Mackenzi Lee's THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE for HBO Max.
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