“Syria: Trapped in Idleb” directed by Yaman Khatib, Fadi al-Halabi and Suzanne Allant won three prizes in the long format TV category of the 27th Bayeux Calvados-Normandie Prize for war reporters. The first prize: for the film’s photographer: Fadi al-Halabi, the second: for the film’s set: Yaman Khatib, and the third: for the French director of Syrian origin Suzanne Allant.
The film, made for the French channel Arte, narrates aspects of the regime and Russia’s military campaign in Idleb at the beginning of this year, and the huge wave of displacement that followed.
The film reviews the stories of people who lost all their family members due to the bombing, conveying the suffering of the displaced and the problem of displacement that more than 5 million people suffered from, within a relatively small part of the world.
At the beginning of the military campaign in Idleb at the end of 2019, Fadi and his colleague, Yaman Khatib, decided to complete the film in cooperation with the French director of Syrian origins, Suzanne Allant, and they ended in mid-March.
The young photographer pointed out that he faced many difficulties on the journey to completing the film in which the humanitarian activist Ahlam al-Rasheed participated, from moving from Turkey to Idleb and returning again.
At the beginning of the filming, Idleb was facing a fierce military campaign, and even the displaced people, which he accompanied with his colleague Yaman, were being targeted by the regime forces, Russia and Iran.
Our interlocutor revealed that during their filming of one of the night scenes, they heard warnings from the observatories of the necessity to evacuate the camp. They miraculously survived.
Furthermore, Halabi expressed that the title of the film simulates the reality of Idleb residents.
Halabi confirmed that the film’s team focused mainly on the human side, reminding the Europeans of the suffering that civilians are exposed to and the genocide committed against them under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
However, the source added that what he is constantly seeking is frank coverage, away from any political opinions or preconceptions.
Fadi pointed out that conveying the voice of people living in a catastrophic tragedy is what interested him and the film crew. They did not think much about the festivals and awards, and whether the awards are important and allowed the film attendees to spread it internationally.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
