Republic of Silence

You can leave Syria, but Syria will never leave you. In this boldly edited, rich documentary, Diana El Jeiroudi – who grew up in Damascus and now lives and works in Berlin – immerses us in her experiences and memories from age seven onwards, when she was given her first camera by her father. As a child, she heard bombs and realised: “Evil has a very loud and terrifying sound”. Once she became a filmmaker, she began filming the demonstrations against Assad. Is it still safe?

In Germany, she thinks about her divided country’s tragedy and records anti-refugee voices. Each of the four chapters has its own emphasis. Associative and not chronological, just like our memories, where travel impressions of Syria mix with archival footage, thoughts expressed in text, intimate moments, and the consoling effect of music. A recurring face is that of Orwa Nyrabia (current director of IDFA), her great love and film partner. Best documentary at DOK Leipzig according to the Goethe-Institut.

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