A New Wave of Syrian Films Exposes the Failure of Images

A New Wave of Syrian Films Exposes the Failure of Images

In an increasingly appalling atmosphere of political stagnation, failed negotiations, and yet another ceasefire that won’t last, there is at least some good news coming out from Syria these days. A new wave of talented filmmakers is silently but powerfully emerging in the midst of a social media-driven compulsion to upload images nonstop and share them in real time.
The endless visual production has taken life away from the art of image-making. Yet an emerging wave of Syrian directors is finally revitalizing it, as they bring life back to film. In particular, three cinematic gems have surfaced from Syria in the past five years: Ammar al-Beik‘s “#Syria_Trilogy” (The Sun’s Incubator (2011); La Dolce Siria (2014); Kaleidoscope (2015)), Sara Fattahi‘s #Coma (2015), and Avo Kaprealian‘s #Houses_Without_Doors (2016). Far from being a mere documentation of Syrian everydayness in wartime, these documentary films start from deep inside the home and the well of family memories.

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