A Comedian in a Syrian Tragedy
Spring Grants 2016 - Post-Production Stage
Rami Farah / Feature Documentary / Syria, Denmark, Qatar / 2017 / 90 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Comedy, War, Immigration, Psychological, Creative Documentary
Synopsis
This chronicle of an uprising and of exile begins in the early months of the Syrian revolution, when director Rami Farah decides to follow Syrian actor Fares Helou, one of the first Syrian stars to take a public stand against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Helou participates in a demonstration, he and his family receive threats, and he worries about Al Bustan, an art centre he is trying to establish as a free space for artists of all kinds. After Al Bustan is destroyed by the regime, Helou leaves Syria for France. Farah follows with Helou’s wife and children, believing they will soon be back in Damascus. He expects the revolution will be a success. But Syria falls apart, and neither actor nor director has a script for this new chapter in their lives: exile.
Credits
- Director
- Rami Farah
- Screenwriter
- Rami Farah
- Producer
- Signe Byrge Sorenson
- Production Company
- Final Cut for Real
About the Director
Rami Farah was born in Syria in 1980. After studying dance at the Higher Institute of Arts in Damascus, he attended numerous training courses and workshops in contemporary film and dance. His first films and videos blend dance and audiovisual material. ‘ZamKan’ (2004), unfolds as a dialogue between a ceiling fan and a chair in a silent room. It was followed by ‘Point’ (2004), a short video that was screened in several exhibitions and festivals. In 2006, Farah shot and produced a 35-minute documentary about the Golan Heights entitled ‘Silence’.