I had the honour to craft those 5 short films with the courageous syrian journalist Zaina Erhaim.<\/p>\n
I hope we did them justice and got their voices heard.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Type of Event: Film<\/p>\n
Female activists who remain in rebel-held parts of Syria face numerous complex challenges.
\nAs well as facing the constant danger of bombing by the Assad government\u2019s air force,
\nthese women have to battle the conservative traditions of a male-dominated society,
\naggravated by a militarised environment from which many civilians have fled.<\/p>\n
Facing restrictions on their movements, dress and behaviour, and often disapproval from their families,
\nthey nonetheless continue to work both to document the war and to help people who suffer injury,
\ndisplacement and poverty.<\/p>\n
In a series of short documentaries made over 18 months in northern Syria,
\nfilmmaker Zaina Erhaim introduces four women from different backgrounds but
\nwith the common goal of helping their fellow-citizens.<\/p>\n
Waed left her family in a government-controlled area to move to rebel-held area of Aleppo,
\nworking as a paramedic in field hospital and on the front lines.
\nWhen civilians started returning to Aleppo,
\nWaed pursued her work as the only female citizen journalist in northern Syria.<\/p>\n
Zein was released from 14 months in a government prison to find her home completely destroyed
\nand her family displaced. She too became a paramedic,
\nworking in the Dar Shifaa field hospital alongside her friend Ahed.<\/p>\n
Known as \u201cthe troublemaker\u201d by her friends, Ahed was at the vanguard of demonstrations in Aleppo,
\nagainst both Assad\u2019s government and Islamic State.
\nDespite beatings and humiliation meted out by both forces, she continues to do relief work.<\/p>\n
Community activist Ghalia has faced repeated attack in her home town in Idlib province.
\nUndeterred, she has founded a series of centres that provide vocational training to local women,
\nand remains committed to trying to improve their lives.<\/p>\n
Screenings to be followed by a Q&A with the director Zaina Erhaim,
\nSyria project coordinator and trainer with the Institute of War & Peace Reporting (IWPR).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n