In December 2011, nine months into the uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, a group of Syrian activists and filmmakers decided to organize the Online Film Festival of Free Syria, after the official Damascus Film Festival was canceled. It was proposed as a temporary solution, until they could move back to the Opera House in Damascus. This year, between December 21-27, the festival will celebrate its third edition, still online, and with no prospect of going back to the physical space they long for.

An alternative to state-controlled film production

The idea was born after the General Cinema Association decided to cancel the celebration of the Damascus Film Festival, that had been taking place for 18 years. As an alternative, a group of young activists and artists decided to create the Film Festival of Free Syria. On December 16, 2011 they published their first statement on their Facebook page: 

We present this Festival, based on our will to shape the new, free and democratic Syria, and on our belief that decisions are now in the hands of the free people of Syria and no longer in the hands of the regime. Also, to honor the effort of our heroes who risk their lives in order to film the demonstrations, and document violations committed by the regime against unarmed civilians. And finally, to show our respect for the creative spirit of the Syrian people that manifested itself in the finest images since the start of their revolution for freedom.

With regard to the above, we, a group of young free Syrians, have decided to challenge the regime’s decision to postpone the Damascus Film Festival and to launch the Film Festival for Free Syria as an alternative inspired by the Syrian Revolution.

The festival's first session will take place under the slogan "Cinema in the freedom arena" 

Today, the film festival is organized by a team of four people: two young men and two young women, specialized in film criticism, design and translation. In order to maintain their independence and not lose track of the project’s goal, they rely on a very limited budget and have refused other sources of funding.

The festival welcomes films recorded with mobile phones, mostly by young Syrian activists. This way, the project embraces the central role of mobile devices within the Syrian uprising and the importance of such footage in the documentation of events on the ground and the abuses committed by the authorities.

The evolution of the Film Festival of Free Syria

As one of the organizers explained in a conversation with Syria Untold, the team is currently reviewing the works sent by filmmakers, associations and NGOs, which range from documentaries, to fiction and animation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXSMq9hcoEs

“A few days before the beginning of the festival, we will share the program with the films that will be presented and will open the room for voting”, he explained. “Through our facebook page, everyone will be able to vote for their favorite films after the end of each session. The last day, the finalists will be shown again and the viewers will choose the winner.”

The organizers have faced many obstacles, related to the tragic situation inside the country. This led them to stop the film screenings that they were organizing on the ground, to focus on the online organization of the festival. 

The festival has evolved hand in hand with the events on the ground, as the winners of the past editions showcase. The first edition’s winner was “Hell on Earth”, by Mohammad Kheir Diab, a seven-minute silent film that highlights the horrors threatening Syrians, in contrast with the ideals that they aim for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJki3rZxZAA

The second edition´s award went to “Under Siege”, a seven-minute documentary by Abu Mulhem Mazen al-Khiarat showing life under the regime’s shelling in the southern region of Horan, and its dramatic consequences on the population.

The organizers are now working on the final touches before the opening. They went from 12 films in the first edition to 20 in the second, and they expect to increase that number this year. They dream of becoming an alternative to state-controlled film production, and of going back to the Damascus Opera House some day.

Follow the Film Festival of Free Syria on Facebook .