Every Friday, a group of self-taught Syrian filmmakers have been producing one short documentary and launching it online. The group is called the Abounaddara Collective, and according to Charif Kiwan, the group’s spokesman, the goal is to “make small stories, about ordinary people.”
“We wanted to make films in order to change the representation, about our civil society. So we decided to use the Internet to make small stories, about ordinary people,” continues Mr. Kiwan.
Suzanne Nossel, a former leader of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International USA, said she was struck by Abounaddara’s impact, especially considering the ongoing tragedies from Syria’s civil war. “You can spend a few minutes and see behind the headlines, and get a sense of the pain and the impact of this on individual after individual. It’s a powerful approach.”
The collective have reached international recognition and acclaim. Their single-shot “Of God and Dogs” won the Grand Jury prize for shorts at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, and the New School in New York is featuring their first solo exhibition in the upcoming calendar.
