»This film starts without a picture.«. We just see white letters on a black background. Childhood memories, a camera given as a 7th birthday present, the silhouette of the father. Then an abrupt leap into the present. A couple sit opposite each other in a Berlin flat, staying silent. The pair share a life marked by dictatorship, war, a loss of their homeland, and fear. And a great love for film.

Starting with her life in exile, film-maker and producer Diana El Jeiroudi takes a look back. This takes in life in Syria, the rising political tensions through to the siege of Homs and the desperate pleas for international help. Away from the big headlines, El Jeiroudi focuses on how war invades the private realm, she films family members and friends also forced to leave the country, and addresses her own traumatisation. The film frequently leaves one with a black screen, giving room to El Jeiroudi’s memories, dreams, nightmares, thoughts and feelings. A complex montage weaves together archive footage, portraits of family members and intimate shots of El Jeiroudi and her partner Orwa Nyrabia: coupled with all this, the collapse of Syria and the impact on the people affected by the war becomes palpable in a rare way.

Guest: Diana El Jeiroudi

This film has been nominated for the Audience Award endowed with 1,000 euro. Please vote after watching the movie.
You can find an overview of all nominated films here.