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Le Monde
Le Monde
10 Feb 2025


Images Le Monde.fr

Emotions were running high among the dozens of Syrians gathered at the Zawaya Art Gallery in the heart of Damascus on January 15 for a screening that would be unprecedented in every way. With the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8, 2024, 70-year-old filmmaker Oussama Mohammed was able to return to Syria after 14 years of forced exile in France. His first feature film, Nujim An-Nahar (Stars in Broad Daylight), the story of a disintegrating family, was finally being shown in the Syrian capital, 37 years after it had been banned during the reign of Hafez al-Assad, the clan's patriarch.

"There were major cinema events before the Baath [then the sole party in power] destroyed the tradition of Syrian cinema. I hope the new authorities will be wiser and better understand Syria and its culture. Without cinema and artistic freedom, there is death – the imprisonment of the imagination for Syrians and for the younger generation," said Mohammed. The screening of Nujim An-Nahar was the first in a series organized by a promising young filmmaker, George Ashkar, as part of a newly established cinema club. The program included films that were censored during the half-century of rule by the al-Assad dynasty. "Two months ago, we wouldn't have even dreamed of organizing this screening," said Ashkar, 23.

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