French cinemas screened a film entitled “A Syrian Family” by Belgian film director Philip van Loe. The film sheds light on one day in the life of a Syrian family suffering military attacks by the Assad forces on civilian areas in order to suppress the Syrian revolution.
Loe said that between the moment he started thinking about making the film in 2013 and the day it was put on public screenings in 2017, the refugee crisis arose. He added that “we lack the keys to understanding how those refugees got here.”
“By shedding light on a day in the life of a Syria civilian who lives in his country under suffocating siege, I tried to understand the reasons why refugees were rushing to the streets and knocking on our doors,” he added.
The film depicts one day in the life of a besieged Syrian family less than one kilometer from the bustling Mazza neighborhood of Damascene. In addition to the suffering caused by lack of electricity and water, the house of the family is constantly exposed to sniper fire of regime forces.
Shot in Beirut, the events of the film revolve in one apartment where all characters move in a narrow space. A helicopter is heard roaring in the background to indicate the Assad regime’s total control of the space over the place.
The film depicts the intense feelings of fear and anticipation of those living under siege. The director tries to say to Western governments and European citizens that those who are standing at your doors today and seek asylum had no other choice. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Al-Hayat Newspaper)
