In this film by Baladna Alraheeb, two activists from different generations embark on a perilous journey as Syria tumbles into the abyss. In Douma, a suburb of Damascus outside Assad regime control, two dissident intellectuals, Yassin al-Haj Saleh and his wife Samira Khalil, meet photographer and fighter Ziad Homsi. Yassin and Ziad travel to Raqqa, Yassin’s hometown, which is newly occupied by ISIS. Deciding to go into exile in Turkey, Yassin hopes to reunite with Samira, who stayed behind; Ziad hopes to go back to Douma. But in “our terrible country,” as said by Yassin, choices have tragic consequences. (WR)

This film is presented as part of the Focus Bidayyat : New Beginnings, presented in collaboration with World Records, and with the support of Critical Media Lab McGill and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

With the support of the Goethe-Institut Montreal

Our Terrible Country