This series celebrates Mohamad Malas, a Syrian filmmaker whose work has garnered international recognition. Born in 1945 in Quneitra in the Golan Heights, Malas is among the first auteur filmmakers in Syrian cinema. Before taking up filmmaking, he worked as a school teacher between 1965 and 1968. He then moved to Moscow to study filmmaking at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). During his time at VGIK, he directed several short films. After his return to Syria, Malas started working for Syrian Television. There he produced several short films, including Quneitra 74 and al-Zhakira (The Memory). Along with Omar Amiralay, he co-founded the Damascus Cinema Club. Between 1980 and 1981, Malas shot the documentary, al-Manam (The Dream), about Palestinians living in refugee camps in Lebanon, during the civil war.
This series includes two of his most compelling short documentaries as well as a new documentary about the filmmaker by scholar and director, Nezar Andary.
Quneitra 74, 1974
Mohamad Malas (Syria)
The Dream, 1987
Mohamad Malas (Syria)
Unlocking Doors of Cinema, 2019
Nezar Andary (UAE, Lebanon, Syria)
After the Israeli army withdraws and returns the town to its inhabitants, the villagers hold a ceremonial gathering in Quneitra, a village in the Syrian Golan Heights. The press takes photographs of the rubble. One woman runs through the streets between the ruins, making sure the audience does not leave her alone and connecting with the spectator through the camera. She strolls through the streets and alleys of her hometown; she enters a house and cleans the glass shards from a broken window. A little girl appears, and she encounters an old woman with her hens. Three women of three generations connect with each other in solitude.
- Year1974
- Runtime20 minutes
- LanguageArabic
- CountrySyrian Arab Republic
- DirectorMohamad Malas
- CinematographerHazem Bayaa
- EditorTala'at al-Maghrebi
- MusicHussein Nazik
This series celebrates Mohamad Malas, a Syrian filmmaker whose work has garnered international recognition. Born in 1945 in Quneitra in the Golan Heights, Malas is among the first auteur filmmakers in Syrian cinema. Before taking up filmmaking, he worked as a school teacher between 1965 and 1968. He then moved to Moscow to study filmmaking at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). During his time at VGIK, he directed several short films. After his return to Syria, Malas started working for Syrian Television. There he produced several short films, including Quneitra 74 and al-Zhakira (The Memory). Along with Omar Amiralay, he co-founded the Damascus Cinema Club. Between 1980 and 1981, Malas shot the documentary, al-Manam (The Dream), about Palestinians living in refugee camps in Lebanon, during the civil war.
This series includes two of his most compelling short documentaries as well as a new documentary about the filmmaker by scholar and director, Nezar Andary.
Quneitra 74, 1974
Mohamad Malas (Syria)
The Dream, 1987
Mohamad Malas (Syria)
Unlocking Doors of Cinema, 2019
Nezar Andary (UAE, Lebanon, Syria)
After the Israeli army withdraws and returns the town to its inhabitants, the villagers hold a ceremonial gathering in Quneitra, a village in the Syrian Golan Heights. The press takes photographs of the rubble. One woman runs through the streets between the ruins, making sure the audience does not leave her alone and connecting with the spectator through the camera. She strolls through the streets and alleys of her hometown; she enters a house and cleans the glass shards from a broken window. A little girl appears, and she encounters an old woman with her hens. Three women of three generations connect with each other in solitude.
- Year1974
- Runtime20 minutes
- LanguageArabic
- CountrySyrian Arab Republic
- DirectorMohamad Malas
- CinematographerHazem Bayaa
- EditorTala'at al-Maghrebi
- MusicHussein Nazik