Following six months of regular demonstrations against the Syrian regime, Ramadan in August 2011 offered a brief respite. For several weeks, the Syrian army pulled back from a number of towns (Hama, Homs and Rastan), allowing protesters to take control. A Lebanese reporter managed to get into those towns for a 10-day period, gathering valuable material. With her camera, she took part in several protests and a funeral, and spoke to a group of army deserters. She captures life in the besieged towns and the means by which demonstrators communicate among themselves and with other countries. In interviews, activists discuss the brutality of the state violence and highlight the non-violent and non-religious nature of their protests. A few days after the director’s departure, the Syrian army retook control of the towns and civil strife flared again. This film offers rare testimony from Syria, the country where uprising has been met with the strongest resistance in the Arab Spring.

Guests will include Iyas Al Maleh, the director of Haitham Maleh Foundation, Syria.

Film trailer.

This screening is part of the One World in Brussels 2012 film festival.