man@the_airport: How Social Media Saved My Life

With an expired passport and work visa, Al Kontar was forced to live for years as a homeless “illegal” before being deported to Malaysia in 2017. There, unable to obtain a visa for any other country, he was stranded in the arrivals zone at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Exiled by war and trapped by geopolitics, Al Kontar turned to social media, using honesty and humour to tell his story to the world. His tweets, posts and videos went viral, leading to mainstream media celebrity and, ultimately, escape from his airport prison.

Man at the Airport explores what it means to be a Syrian, an "illegal" and a refugee. More broadly, it examines the power of social media to amplify individual voices and facilitate political dissent.