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Talal Derki’s Return to Homs

Talal Derki’s Return to Homs (2013) is a documentary film following young revolutionary Abdel Basset Sarout (1992-2019) through his attempt to liberate the Syrian city of Homs.

Basset, who once aspired to be a professional soccer player, becomes a leader of the people of Syria who stand against the corrupt government during the civil war. Basset is a charming man who leads his family, friends, and comrades as they fight against Bashar al-Assad’s regime with very little resources. As they all come to the realization that armed resistance is necessary in order to protect their land, they acquire any weapons they can and organize themselves in an attempt to save their beloved city of Homs.

Return to Homs beautifully demonstrates the steadfast and resilient nature of the Syrian people, amid great death and destruction. Through the revolutionary songs that Basset sings and his inspiring personality, Return to Homs is a great movie to watch in order to understand the complexities of the Syrian civil war.

-Noora Lahoud ’25

Nawara Mahfoud, Zaher Omareen, Malu Halasa, Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline

The art anthology Syria Speaks beautifully displays the intersection between Syrian art and culture and the uprising that began in 2011.

Over the years, artful resistance has been used as a tool to defy the corrupt Syrian regime. As the regime monopolized the news industry, controlling what information is readily available, citizens have used art and culture to liberate themselves, share news, educate one another, and attempt to unite the people. Social media has become a vital tool in the people’s revolution, and Syria Speaks highlights this throughout the anthology. Political art and independent news sources have become criminalized in Syria, and this has only forced people to be innovative and creative in their digital/ artful resistance. Syria Speaks displays a collection of poems, posters, songs, and essays that work to defy the Syrian regime and empower /unite the people’s revolution in Syria. The sheer existence of the anthology is a testament to the steadfast Syrians who risk their lives making art that criticizes the Assad government.

The incredible organization of the anthology makes Syria Speaks a phenomenal book to either read thoroughly or skim to learn more about the art created in Syria throughout the civil war. Syria Speaks serves as a way to avoid the numbness and indifference of death in war. As Daniel Gorman reminds us in the anthology through his piece, “From the Outside Looking in,” art might not change the trajectory of a country’s history, but it will keep us from being numb. As artists in Syria risk their lives creating art, we at least have the privilege of safely consuming it, which some might even consider to be morally obligatory.

– Noora Lahoud ’25

Talal Derki’s Of Fathers and Sons

Talal Derki’s Of Fathers and Sons (2017) is a documentary film about the lives of fighters of the Al-Nusra Front in Syria.

Derki returns to Syria and follows the daily lives of the radical Islamist Osama family. The viewer, essentially peeking into their lives, gets the opportunity to see how kids are trained and indoctrinated to fight for the Al-Nusra front from birth. -Noora Lahoud ’25

Sally Al Hosaini’s The Swimmers

The Swimmers is the story of two teenage Syrian sisters, Yusra and Sarah
Mardini, leaving war torn Damascus in search of a better life.

The first half of the movie details the refugee plight; the girls join their cousin Nizar and make the perilous journey to Europe. While being smuggled across the Aegean ocean, their dinghy began to sink. The girls, who were trained in swimming by their almost-Olympian father, swam alongside it, ensuring the safety of the other 18 refugees on board. The second half focuses on Yusra Mardini’s journey to the Olympics in Rio 2016. When Yusra finds out she will be unable to represent Syria in the Olympics, she adapts to her new story as a refugee and swims for the Refugee Team, effectively providing a voice to the voiceless. Before her race, her sister tells her to, “swim for all those who couldn’t.” 

Part sports movie, part diaspora film, this dramedy will have you laughing, crying and reflecting on Yusra and Sarah’s heartfelt journey and what it takes to persevere amidst the suffering of war. The film not only allows us to humanize the mass numbers of people who fled their countries in 2015, but serves as an important reminder to do what we can with the platform and privileges we are given. –Amelie Sahadevan

Eran Riklis’ The Syrian Bride

The Syrian Bride is about the wedding day of a young Druze woman from Israel, named Mona, and the challenges her family must navigate to prepare for the wedding in a politically divided region.

The whole film takes place in one day, as her family prepares for Mona’s
arranged marriage to a Syrian television star named Tallel. Mona and Tallel never met in person
before their marriage. However, Mona has an obligation to her family to move to Syria to marry
him. She is not able to return to Israel once she crosses the border, as she will become a Syrian
citizen. This film shows the reality of living in countries with large political tension. Israel
occupies the Golan Heights, which has caused political and social tensions in the area. This
occupation has led to a complicated relationship between Israel and Syria, impacting the lives of
the local Druze community, including Mona’s family. -Sedona Perin