REBUILDING SYRIA

Documentary | 50 min | Work in Progress

In Syria, dust was everywhere. On the streets, on our clothes, in the air. Dust that seemed to carry the traces of years of war and destruction. Construction sites appeared one after another among wounded cities, while life slowly struggled to resume its course.

I travelled through places of extraordinary beauty and history, sometimes deeply scarred, such as Palmyra, where the destruction of its archaeological heritage left me with a profound sense of sorrow.

I met people still shaken by what they had lived through, yet filled with an extraordinary determination to begin again. After decades under an authoritarian regime, many spoke to me about the joy of finally being able to express themselves freely, alongside the immense challenges facing a country that must rebuild far more than its buildings.

Rebuilding Syria is a journey through a country struggling to rebuild its future after nearly fifteen years of war.

From Damascus to Palmyra, from Homs to Aleppo, the documentary explores the role of universities, culture, and younger generations in Syria’s recovery. Through the voices of students, professors, and ordinary citizens, the film portrays not only the physical reconstruction of a country, but also the rebuilding of its identity, its memory, and its hopes for the future.

A journey of images, encounters, and questions about what it truly means to begin again.