Damascus is Breathing

It all began with a gaze—that of Omar Malas, camera in hand, at the heart of a group of young volunteer doctors. What started as a photographic project gradually turned into a film, aiming to capture this moment of solidarity in a country drained after years of war. By 2020–2021, Syria had not made the headlines for several years and, like the rest of the world, had been severely affected by COVID-19, a reality little heard of in the West. Yet, for the filmmaker, the virus was less a curse than a strange invitation to pause: “it healed us more than it affected us.” In this country torn apart by years of conflict, the pandemic paradoxically became a moment of “truce in the war.” At the Damascus center for the deaf, transformed into a medical facility, doctors and volunteers from all walks of life come together every day—a place where the entire community meets from morning to night. Minimalist yet powerful, this documentary is above all a testimony: that of a catastrophe managed by citizens who step in to make up for the absence of the state.

Justine Pignato
Researcher in film and media studies
and programmer