George Sopwith
‘Raqqa to Beirut’ is a three-channel film installation documenting the journey of a young Syrian man called Bashar Alhamoud. He was forced to flee Syria in 2018, after escaping from an ISIS prison in his home of Raqqa, Syria. Silenced by his trauma, he regained his agency and power of speech through his love of poetry and writing. The fractured screens invite you to take a step back from the narrative and reconsider the film as an intimate portrait of Bashar.
Last year, ‘Raqqa to Beirut’ was showed at ‘The Raw Film Festival’ as part of refugee week.
Excerpts from the documentary 'Folk Fusion'. The film follows a local Garo rock star, Meraki, and his relationship with two tribal elders from the Garo Hills, north-east India. Taking inspiration from their teachings, Meraki aims to preserve Garo cultural heritage and language through song, in a region that has predominantly converted to Christianity.