Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
) is a Syrian
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
As a young woman, Hala was highly involved in politics. She was arrested at the age of 20 and spent 14 months in jail. Later, she moved to Paris with her husband,
Youssef Abdelke
Youssef Abdelke (Arabic يوسف عبدلكي) is one of Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūr ...
. There she decided to embark in cinema, and contacted her friends Amiralay, Malas and Mohammad for guidance. Their advice, to let the idea go, only increased her passion grow and determination.
Cinema and politics
Hala started working in cinema at 31, traveling between France and Syria. Originally an artistic collaborator, she became a co-director. She is the producer and manager of a company named Ramadfilm in Syria.
At 50, she released her well-known documentary “I Am the One Who Brings Flowers to Her Grave”, the movie was a great success and recognized internationally, winning awards at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
and the
Dubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announce ...
. It was also nominated at the Venice Film Festival for another award, and garnered additional nominations at the
Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held biennially in Yamagata, Japan ( ).
It was first held in October 1989, which makes it one of the longest running documentary film festivals in the world and ...
and the
Nantes Three Continents Film Festival
The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau.Damacus Ciné Club, and used to discuss cinema with its owners at the time —
Omar Amiralay
Omar Amiralay ( ar, عمر أميرالاي) (1944 – 5 February 2011) was a Syrian documentary film director and civil society activist. He is noted for the political criticism in his films, and played a prominent role in the events of the Da ...
, Moaammad Malas, and others. After a time she felt the need to make movies herself, drawn by their potential for carrying a strong political message or advocating for a cause. To her, the movies began to be something shaped like a work of art, as an aesthetic audio-visual base. ''I Am the One Who Brings Flowers to Her Grave'' reflects her journey in cinema, the political message as a work of art.
Cinematography
* ''
Omar Amiralay
Omar Amiralay ( ar, عمر أميرالاي) (1944 – 5 February 2011) was a Syrian documentary film director and civil society activist. He is noted for the political criticism in his films, and played a prominent role in the events of the Da ...
- Sorrow, Time and Silence'' (2021)
* ''Comme si nous attrapions un cobra'', As If We Were Catching A Cobra, (2012)
* ''Hé! N'oublie pas le cumin'', Hey! Don't Forget the Cumin, (2008)
*''Yolla, Un retour vers soi'' (2008), for France Culture.
* ''I Am the One Who brings Flowers to Her Grave'' (2006)
* ''L'homme aux semelles d'or'', The Man with Golden Soles, (2000), with Omar Amiralay
Importance of documentaries
Documentaries are essential to a developing country like Syria, in the eyes of Hala Abdallah, tools of liberation from the struggle that is lived every day. Documentaries enrich the eyes of the audience after the 40 years of commercial and manipulated movies they have been seeing. Hala has said that documentaries should be introduced and be in demand from audiences. However, Syria is one of the countries that is resisting these new forms of expression and work. Documentaries have their own language that people get after being exposed enough to documentaries.
Censorship and cinema
Determination is a necessity in the field of documentaries to give them the true, brave and free feel. Hala says that a documentary cannot be neutral and objective, must not be. Otherwise, it becomes similar to propaganda films. A documentary must take a stand and defend it through he choice of a subject, the axis of treatment and the desired result. All this requires a deep commitment; each documentary must be a fight and an adventure.“We make a film to defend freedom, but we must also do it in freedom.”
Ramadfilm
The three directors,
Omar Amiralay
Omar Amiralay ( ar, عمر أميرالاي) (1944 – 5 February 2011) was a Syrian documentary film director and civil society activist. He is noted for the political criticism in his films, and played a prominent role in the events of the Da ...
, Moaammad Malas, and Omar Mohammad formed a unity where Hala joined them and started producing films with love and deep commitment. Ramadfilm started 20 years ago in Lebanon, under the name of Maram CTV. With the return of Omar Amiralay to Syria, Maram CTV moved to Damascus with a new name; Ramadfilm. Chaired by Omar Amiralay, Ramadfilm produced all of Amiralay's documentaries, as well as ''The Night'' by Malas, and ''Sacrifices'' from O. Mohammad, and the films of some French directors.
''Je suis celle qui porte les fleurs vers sa tombe'', I Am She who Brings the Flowers to her Grave
This is one of the movies that Hala is well known for, it was the winner of Best Documentary Award in Venice.
It is a journey through the Syrian landscape. Hala merged poetry with film-making. Poetry was a main element in the movie, it illustrated the longing that her friends have for Syria. Some people went into exile and will never see their country again, some of which are her friends that live in Paris yet they still miss their homeland. The movie contains interviews with three of her friends who chose to leave Syria for France. It also shows that the political exile ended up being and inner exile in the people even while leaving in France. Poetry is the main component of this movie, it shows the impact of poetry on people and everyday situations.