This article is part of a dossier in partnership between SyriaUntold and openDemocracy's North Africa, West Asia page, exploring the emerging post-2011 Syrian cinema; its politics, production challenges, censorship, viewership, and where it may be heading next.
Today, there is a variety of concerned parties interested in funding feature films and documentaries, including humanitarian organizations as well as international and cultural ones. But how do funders determine the target audience for these films? Do Syrian directors or producers have a role in determining the target audience? Do the films and documentaries that narrate Syrian events reach the Syrian public itself?
According to Syrian director and writer Wahat al-Raheb: "although the war has turned half the Syrian public into refugees and displaced populations, Syrians still try to keep up with everything that is produced by Syrians or that concerns the Syrian cause, even if solely through the internet. It is possible to say that Syrians eagerly hunt and pick any film that honestly conveys their cause and tragedy, which have become global. Moreover, many people around the world are eager to follow everything related to the Syrian revolution which has come to embody the crime of our times. This is reflected in the nomination of Syrian films for the most important international awards, despite their limited budgets.”
