By Stella Youssef
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – After 2011, in a country torn by war and destruction, the way opened for Northeast Syria to explore cultural and artistic fields and bring to light true stories on the ground that were previously forbidden.
Cinema was one way to tell the touching stories of the people of Northeast Syria, also known as Rojava.
In the past
The first cinema theater in Syria was built in Damascus in 1916 during the rule of the Ottoman empire but a month later it was burned down. The development of cinema started only after the French mandate for Syria.
Film production thrived in the 1960s but were more inclined towards nationalist documentaries.
In the deliberately marginalized region of Northeast Syria, many struggles and injustices against the Kurds were lost in history as a result of the systematic policies of successive oppressive regimes in the country after World War II.
Despite humble means, individuals passionate about making films assumed the responsibility of showing the struggles that the community in northeast Syria went and still goes through.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) encouraged the development of all aspects of culture and art, including cinema, as a way to help the recovery of areas devastated by the Syrian war.
The AANES was formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Hasakah in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the Syrian government forces. Later, it expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) defeated the Islamic State (ISIS) militarily there.
Outset of cinema
Mahmoud Chaqmaqi, a Kurdish writer and filmmaker from Afrin in northwest Syria who is currently residing in France, said that the presence of cinema in Rojava is very timid in the professional sense. There are, however, efforts being made in filmmaking.
Chaqmaqi explained the prolonged policies of exclusion implemented by the Baath regime negatively affected the Kurdish cultural identity. Some of effects manifested in the absence of a real institutional infrastructure such as cinemas, box offices, and production companies.
“Cinema in Rojava began after the Syrian revolution. Mainly after the establishment of Rojava Film Commune, which introduced itself as an official association to produce films and train staff,” Chaqmaqi said.
The Rojava Film Commune, based in AANES-held areas, is a cultural association established in 2015 by a group filmmakers who shared the common goal of reviving the Kurdish cinema to preserve the Kurdish identity against attempts of elimination.
The association not only depicts war stories that tell real events but also shows the aspirations of the population for political, social reform, co-existence and ethnic pluralism in their community.
An administrator in the Rojava Film Commune, said their main motivation was to “introduce the truth about our people [Kurds] through art and culture.” He added that they produce films that focus on the current reality experienced by people in Northeast Syria, such as attacks on the region and their implications on security and society.
Challenges
The administrator pointed out that the nascent Northeast Syria is in need of organization and further development of the filmmaking field. The Commune faces significant challenges in relation to security and specialized staff.
He said, “Our work requires a large number of staff to operate in vast spaces. Sometimes, 30 to 40 people would be present during filming. These large groups of people can be vulnerable to security threats in northeast Syria,” as it still witnesses attacks by Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells and Turkey.
They also lack development projects that can enhance filmmaking. This issue was brought to light by international film producers, who offered expertise, advice, and critiques regarding technical and content-wise problems to help improve filmmaking in Rojava.
On the other hand, Firyal Choli, co-chair of the AANES’ Culture Board in Jazira region (Hasakah Governorate), said the Culture and Art Movement, a social movement to organize cultural institutions in Northeast Syria, encourages ambitious directors and actors and provides financial support.
Choli pointed out that they received no international support, however, the Culture Board, Rojava Commune, and the Culture Movement coordinate with film producers and provide equipment, staff, and protection for filming according to their limited and available resources.
Development efforts
The Rojava Film Commune currently endeavors, in cooperation with the Culture Board, to develop scriptwriting, filming techniques, directing, and audio production skills.
Moreover, Choli said they also held training workshops in northeast Syria for individuals interested in filmmaking, but they face financial and security obstacles which stand in the way of advancing film production and hosting film festivals.
On more specific efforts to encourage turn-out on films, the Board is striving to buy a film projector to screen films in the Cultural Center, according to Choli.
The center, named Muhammad Sheikho, was established in the city of Qamishli, aims at reviving the Kurdish culture, where it holds all kinds of musical, theatrical, artistic, and cultural events and activities.
For many people and children in northeast Syria seeing a film on screen will be a first. In areas that were previously controlled by ISIS, cultural events in general were strictly prohibited.
For this reason the Culture Board and the Rojava Film Commune hold the annual Rojava International Film Festival and film screenings in areas that have no access and resources to watch movies. They screen local and international films with Arabic and Kurdish subtitles, which not so long ago was banned to deal and speak with.
The festival is held every year on Nov. 13, in memory of a devastating fire in 1960 in a cinema in the town of Amuda, which resulted in the death of over 200 children.
According to Chaqmaqi, this incident associated cinema with tragedy, death, and fire in the collective mind of Kurds.
More steps
The writer believes the process of filmmaking in northeast Syria has taken modest steps due to war. Additionally, the mindset of the cultural and artistic institutions lack a clear cultural strategy which create a state of uncertainty and unsteadiness.
It is unfortunate that the dominance of one pattern in the cultural and artistic movement led to solidifying the stereotype of Kurds being only courageous fighters. More efforts are required to be able to show underlying issues behind specific event, according to Chaqmaqi.
He explained, “The development of cinema, shifting the ideological and cultural structure of the community, and changing stereotypes is a cumulative process and requires integrative work among many institutions.”
Some films produced by the Rojava Film Commune and independent filmmakers gained recognition by international film festivals, such as the Alexandria International Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries and others in Morocco, Tunisia, India, and Europe.
These films managed to show a different perspective on the region to the world.
The future of cinema, like any other field, is correlated to the political future of Syria.
Northeast Syria lacks stability whether in relation to security, economy, or politics, which is fundamental to the development of cinema as an industry, he added.
“It is very complex. This is probably what drives people to make films about many aspects that the world is not familiar with, and to create the ground for a film industry capable of making a real change,” Chaqmaqi added.