Thursday 25 February 2016
Camara Negra Collective | Spain, 2015 | 75 mins | Not Rated
This month we’re showing two aspects of a very real, very brutal war. March 2011, inspired by the images from Tunisia and Egypt, some 15 Syrian school children wrote “The People Want To Topple The Regime”, on their school walls. In beautiful naivety, they signed their names under their messages of hope. The Mukhabarat (secret police) broke into the homes of the children that same night and arrested them. The Chief of Intelligence told their parents “forget about your children”, and from there, the Syrian uprising began.
A civilian uprising against a despised dictatorship rapidly turned into an international conflict as outside powers intervened in pursuit of their own interests. Not only have the Syrian people to contend with the unimaginable brutality of the Assad regime, but also with terrorist forces sponsored by neighbouring states (key Western allies) and regional powers pursuing their expansionist ambitions, often using proxies under the guise of sectarian, religious division and wannabe global powers unable or unwilling to put the Cold War to bed. Hopefully these films will give some perspective on what’s happening and, in Syrians’ own words, how they feel.
Ecos del Desgarro: A Spanish film collective got into Syria to document what’s happening inside the country. They wanted ordinary Syrians, fighting for the Free Syria Army, to give their account of the war and why they stayed to fight. These people are not trained fighters; they are students, workers and unemployed. People who felt the Assad regime had to be challenged. Their words need to be heard.
My Escape from Syria: Europe or Die (Vice News, 2015, 19 mins): This war has created hundreds of thousands of refugees; civilians who have been forced to leave everything and travel in search of a new life in Europe. Ismail, 25, and 19-year-old Naeem filmed their journey, including the terrifying boat crossing from Turkey to Greece, where hundreds of refugees have died. They give first-hand accounts of their journey, the life they left behind and their hopes for the future.