Hala Alabdalla Yakoub and Ammar Al Beik jointly directed Ana Alati Tahmol Azouhour Ila Qabriha, which functions as more of a video diary than a traditional documentary. In approaching the project, the filmmakers sought to record the tenuous, quickly fading recollections of numerous Syrian women -- both those who remained in their native country and several who opted to migrate to France and become French residents. In the picture, the women ad-lib, in a stream of consciousness, on their nation and what it means to be a Syrian national. The documentarists opt to shoot in black-and-white, and rely heavily on close-ups, capturing the facial nuances of their subjects and the aura of reminiscence that envelops them as they expostulate; in the process, the motion picture pays unbridled tribute to Syrian identity and culture. The subjects in question also include director Yakoub and her extended family.
by Nathan Southern
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