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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