The Abounaddara Collective: Alternative Images of Syria
The Abounaddara Collective is a group that consists of several anonymous filmmakers that seek to show images of Syria that are not seen in mainstream media. The Abounaddara Collective is useful for filmmakers that seek to use film and media for activism as it highlights the different methods that can be used in order to make images as powerful as possible. For example, since the formation of the group, they have uploaded a new film every week to their website. By using the internet as their main method to broadcast their films, they have created a space that is specifically designed to bear witness. The shorts that Abounaddara focus on the experiences of Syrians since the revolution and how their lives have been affected by war. Thus, the group highlights how different media platforms can be used to distribute films that involve testimonies and witnesses of people that may not have otherwise been given attention.
The filmmakers of the Abounaddara Collective remain anonymous and instead focus all attention on the stories of the people that feature in their films. By doing this, it shows how this group has prioritised community rather than promoting their own filmmaking abilities. A spokesman for the group states, “The films we produce are created by the collective society, not just one person who has a specific religious or political opinion.”[1] The groups focus on community and a collective society can be useful to filmmakers as it emphasises the importance of the collaborative process in filmmaking for activism.
[1] Laura Feinstein, “This Syrian Filmmaking Collective Shows the Banality of Life in War,” VICE, Jun 25, 2015 https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/mvxgap/this-syrian-art-collective-shines-an-intimate-light-on-life-in-their-war-torn-country-456