Road to Damascus

A Showcase of Syrian Cinema

by Mary Wilson

This week, International House offers viewers unvarnished access to the cinematic heart of a nation whose filmmakers have long been underrepresented. A three-day showcase of Syrian-made films — encompassing shorts, documentaries and full-length features — looks to provide honest glimpses into contemporary life in the Middle Eastern nation.

Located between Israel, Lebanon and Iraq, it's no surprise that the country has some complex stories to tell. Unfortunately, few of these stories ever reach a director, and even fewer make it to the U.S. This is in part because the country's film industry is entirely run by the state; most filmmakers are employed as civil servants, and there are enough funds to produce only one feature-length film a year.

As far as the I-House is concerned, the dearth of Syrian cinema is the biggest reason to increase its circulation. "The prime motive," says curator Rasha Salti, "was to give visibility to stellar cinema that travels very rarely — only on occasions of premieres at international festivals." Many of the films convey the relative isolation of their makers, but Salti sees this as a virtue. In Syria, he says, "Theaters show Egyptian features and Bollywood films. In contrast to these genres, Syrian cinema stands apart [with] its indigenous audience." Native filmmakers simply don't produce blockbusters, in part because their well-funded neighbors dominate the market. Without the usual commercial concerns, the directors are free to experiment.

Up to a point, of course. One of the films, Usama Muhammad's Stars in Broad Day, remains banned in Syria due to its "subversive" content. Screened at Cannes in 1988, the feature offers a searing critique of patriarchal society as it relays the tragic fate of a woman destroyed by her own family. In contrast, The Dream documents the far more vocalized oppression of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, whose very dreams take on the violent character of their lives. In one instance, a young boy recounts a nightmare in which he is shot in the chest in the midst of an Israeli assault. If the rifle leaning at his feet is any indication, it's not especially far-fetched.

While it would be misguided to romanticize the challenges faced by artists in authoritarian regimes, there is something to be said for the accomplishments of these filmmakers. They know their setting; they possess a sense of reality unaffected by the self-referential, commercial world in which many Western filmmakers seem to live. And, considering the differences in our cultures, they may have a lot to teach us.

(m_wilson@citypaper.net)

A Showcase of Syrian Cinema, Thu.-Sat., March 22-24, $7, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, www.ihousephilly.org.