Ghiath Ayoub is a filmmaker and visual artist based in Beirut, Lebanon.

Born in 1989 in Syria, Ayoub graduated from the faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Damascus in 2013 with a degree in visual communications, after which he launched his career as a filmmaker, as well as an independent graphic and web designer.

In 2013, Ayoub directed his first two experimental films, “Extremism” and “Passing”. The following year he made a short documentary called “Front Line”, and in 2018 he completed his first feature documentary “Still Recording”, which has since won several international awards, including the FIPRESCI Award at Venice Critics’ Week.

Ayoub has also co-produced a number of short and feature-length films such as “Lost in Lebanon” and “Good Morning Sisyph”.

He has also co-founded a number of independent cultural and art projects in Beirut, such as the cultural event space “Riwaq Beirut”, and “Workshop 51”, a self-sustainable space for open-source fabrication and design.

Together with a group of friends, Ayoub founded “Rousl Group”, a collective which has created a number of multimedia projects such as the online visual galleries “Sam Lenses” and “Humans of Syria” which document the lives of civilians living in war and conflict.

Ayoub sees cinema and art as a space of endless beauty and imagination in which to discover and experiment. For him, visual and sensory details, accuracy, simplicity, depth, and love are all factors that contribute to free and open spaces. Through his work, he lives a tireless journey in the discovery of his own secrets, thoughts, and emotions. He believes in the experimental and participatory approach to life and work and relies on the exchange of experiences as an essential part of gaining knowledge and creating art.

Samer started his academic studies in sociology at the Lebanese University in Beirut. However, his residency was withdrawn at the end of his first year and he had to interrupt his studies. Since then, he has focused on developing his filmmaking skills. He participated in a number of training workshops (including two workshops organized in Beirut by Bidayyat, workshops organized by Palestinian organization Jafra in Damascus) and gained practical experience as a director, editor and photographer both in Syria and Lebanon.

A young Syrian Palestinian filmmaker directed several short films, director of art production group Reaction.

As a Palestinian born in Kuwait, Hani spent his childhood living in various Arab countries before being based in Syria. He graduated in 2004 in English Literature from the Baath University of Homs and then joined the media studies department of the University of Damascus, which he could not finish given the situation in Syria. Hani has been working since as a reporter and journalist with various Arab media outlets, covering political, economic, sports and cultural events in Syria. Daily reporting about Syrian crises 2011- currently.

Jerar Agabashian was born on 25/09/1985 in Lattakia and then lived in several Syrian cities before settling down in Damascus where he started in 2003 his university studies at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in the Acting department. He graduated in 2009 and has since acted in various cinematic, TV and theater productions.

Dima is an illustrator, animator, storyteller, clown and the founder of Memory Initiative for Syrian Culture (MISC). She creates visual art stories that reflect her own memories and stories from the Syrian collective memories. She interacts through her art with human rights issues around the world. Her main concern is to advocate for the prisoners of consciousness and the forced disappeared.

Dima is also a member of a clown theater company called “Clown Me In”. The company uses clowning to spread laughter and provide relief to disadvantaged communities while exploring human vulnerabilities and providing individuals a way to accept them.

She is holding both Masters in Art and Cultural Management at King’s College - London University and a B.A in Sociology from Damascus University.

Avo Kaprealian was born in 1986 in Aleppo and is from a Syrian-Armenian family.  He left his hometown study theater studies at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, where he graduated in 2011.  Since then he is working in theatre as a dramaturg and director, as well as his work in interactive theatre sessions.
He took part in several film workshops organized by Beirut DC, Bidayyat for Audiovisual Arts and Screen Beirut on the development of film ideas in general and his feature documentary “Houses without doors” which he filmed entirely by himself. 

Houses without doors, awarded best international documentary at 34th Torino Film Festival 2016, is Avo Kaprealian’s first feature-length film, and had its world premiere at FORUM - Berlinale 66th. he has directed one short entitled “Just two steps too” (2012; 04:09 min) that was shown at the Yerevan Golden Apricot Film Festival.

Studied at the higher institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus. Director of two video clip “Ya waladi” for Syrian group “Gene” in 2011 and “We are coming to slaughter you” in 2013. Editor of “Revolutionaries of the mountain” 2012, “Homs Aladiyeh” 2012. He also has participated as an actor/ presenter in many TV series and TV shows. 

Leen AlFaisal is a Syrian documentary filmmaker and currently a video producer at CNN Arabic. She is a holder of BA degree in Journalism and a minor certificate in Middle Eastern Studies. Leen has a special interest in human stories and has worked on documentary topics such as women rights and homosexuality in the Arab World.

 The Borrowed Dress is Leen’s first feature length documentary to direct and edit, and it won the "Best Documentary" award in Silkroad International Film Festival in Dublin, Ireland. It was also nominated for 3 different awards in the London International Filmmakers Film Festival.  

Klara Hammoud is a Syrian filmmaker who has worked as a TV correspondent and radio broadcaster for many TV and radio stations throughout the Middle East.  She prepared reports about social and humanitarian issues.

Additionally, she is a writer and theater director.

In 2012, Klara left Syria in search for artistic and creative freedom.

Klara earned her Master of Fine Arts in the US. Her latest experimental documentary film “83 Orange Peels” was officially selected at the Carthage Film Festival.

Award winning Syrian journalist, named the journalist of the year by Reporters without Boarders in 2015, one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women according to Arabian Business and Unsung heroes of 2016 by Reuters Thomson. She received Index on Censorship, Freedom of Expression award in 2016, Press Freedom Prize by Reporters Without Borders and Peter Mackler Award for Ethical and Courageous Journalism in 2015 beside Mustafa Al Husaine award for the best article written by a young journalist.

She has been working with the Institute for War and Peace reporting as the Syria project coordinator then senior media specialist for the last 4 years, trained more than 100 media activists on journalism basics inside Syria and made a series of short films named Syria Rebellious Women and Syria diaries told by its women.

 

He studied Fine Arts in Damascus to become a sculptor, but the revolution in Syria changed my trajectory.

He loves to make and build things and ideas, to ride motorbikes and to break laws. Music, cinema, books and absurd disputes inspire me. Every form of authority, He despises, but He is engulfed by the mere idea of alternatives, the ambivalence of truth, freedom as an absolute and its relation to creative processes.

He likes to master new skills. He is  freelancer and work in various art related fields, he has worked as a sculptor and web designer and art therapist before, as well as a tattoo artist and bartender.

When the Revolution in Syria started, He worked as freelancer journalist photographer for Reuters in Eastr Gouta 2013 - 2014
He worked with friends as a "Rousl Group" to start and run projects like:

“Sam lense”  (Photography) 2012, “Alsahra” (Graffiti) 2014, “Human of Syria” (Photojournalism) 2015.

In 2015, He started to work as a freelance editor and in 2016 he made his first short film, “Hide The Phone”, produced by Syria Mobile Film Festival.
In 2016 and 2017, He completed a workshop on documentaries with Bidayyat,
as well as finished his second short film, “Land of Doom”, which had its  World Premiere at “Forum Expanded” Berlinale 68th 2017 and Documentamadrid 2018

Wael Hamada was born in Damascus in 1985. He studied Law and Cinematography at the University of Damascus. He has participated in a number of film-related activities and workshops and is currently working on his documentary feature, "The Sea belongs to Mariam".

Afraa Batous was born in Aleppo-Syria in 1986. Graduated from Faculty of Arts and Humanities, English Literature section in 2008. Worked in theater for five years in Aleppo and directed her first experimental theater performance in 2012 in Jordan "Who Have Seen Is Not like who’s not". In 2014 she finished her first documentary short film "Haj Abd the Fawwal" screened at "Arab Short film Festival" In Beirut and FIFAK film festival in Tunisia. "Skin", is her latest feature documentary.

 

Doha Hassan is a journalist and photographer. Her work in journalism includes two years in charge of the Syria desk at NOW lebanon website, she has been published on a number of online news outlets (Al Hayat, Almudon, Al Jumhuriya), and for two years, until its eventual closure, she was a reporter and producer for Orient TV in Damascus. She has been media coordinator for several cultural events, including the DOX BOX International Documentary Film Festival organized by Syrian company Proaction Films in 2011, the Contemporary Dance Festival organized by Tanween Dance Theater in 2010, and the 2010 Contemporary Sculpture Symposium. In 2010, after six months working as a volunteer with an independent group of journalists and activists she held an exhibition of her photographs about Syrian migrants entitled “Temporary”.

She has also done work as a photographer for a number of cultural institutes and centers. In 2012 worked for the documentary film production company Proaction Films as a communications director. In 2013 she won the Samir Kassir Prize for Press Freedom. The Syrian League for Citizenship released a collection of her articles entitled "Table Ground"

Born in Aleppo in 1988, Al Achkar received a degree in Banking from Aleppo University and was forced to give up a degree in IT Studies midway through his first year. He worked as a cameraman for AFP before working as a cameraman and producer for the Al Jazeera news channel.  He was a co-founder of the Rouh Media Group, producing a number of short films including "Red 1", "Red for Whoever Deserves Love", and "I Shot down the Plane". He participated in the Syria Mobile Phone Film Festival, using his camera-phone to shoot and direct a film entitled "A Garden and a Graveyard". He is a member of the Road of Bread theater group.

A Palestinian filmmaker Born in 1980, Graduate from the Faculty of journalism- Damascus University. Her graduation project was a documentary film about a Syrian author Mohamed Al-Maghout, broadcasted on Al-jazeera channel in 2007. Her first short documentary "Noor Alhuda" was produced by Al-Arabiya channel awarded the DOX-BOX jury prize as the best Syrian documentary film in 2010. She produced and directed her feature documentary film "Damascus my first kiss", where its premiered in Doc Leipzig, and broadcasted on arte channel in 2013. "A Dream of Powerful Monsters", her second short film was awarded the best documentary film at the Arab Short Festival in Beirut 2014. Her new project “Ibrahim” won the prize of OIF during the Beirut Cinema Platform in 2015. 

Filmmaker/producer

Born in 1982 in Lebanon, Rami graduated from the Lebanese University in 2005 with a bachelor degree in Acting and Directing. Since then, he participated in numerous acting, directing & documentary film-writing workshops. He worked as editor & videographer for many short documentaries & journalistic reports. In 2007, Rami finished his first short documentary film "Revenging for the astronaut", Produced by Arab Institute Film (AIF). He established with a group of Arab filmmakers, in 2011, a production company “SakadoLTD” based in Beirut. In 2011, he completed his feature documentary “Yamo” co-Produced by Umam Production & SakadoLTD. He Co-produced in 2012, “Damascus My First Kiss” a film by Lina Al-Abed, produced by SakadoLTD. In 2012, he was the line producer for “Off Frame” a documentary film By Mohaned Yaakoubi, produced By Idioms Film in Jordan & Lebanon Since 2013, Rami have been working as producer for SakadoLTD.

Ziad Kalthoum (Homs, Syria, 1981) graduated in film; he worked as an assistant director on several films, series and TV programs, including Ladder to Damascus by Mohammad Malas (2013). In 2011 he directed his first documentary, Oh, My Heart which was selected for the Carthage Film Festival.

Ziad's first feature length documentary "The immortal sergeant" (75 min), released in 2013, deals with the schizophrenic daily life and encounters he makes between his mandatory military service in the Syrian Army and his role as assistant director during Mohammad Malas' shooting of "Ladder to Damascus". Among others, the film was shown at the Locarno Film Festival 2014 and the Fribourg International Film Festival 2015.
His latest documentary ”Taste of cement”, was granted the award of Best feature film of the International Competition at Visions Du Reel film festival.

 

 

Documentary Filmmaker & painter

Born in Damascus, 1983, she Studied Law at Damascus University, and a graduate of Adham Ismail "Fine art Institute in Damascus".
2010 she started producing and directing her own documentary films independently. "27 Meters" was here first short documentary, produced in 2013. "COMA" her first feature long documentary, produced in 2015, was granted the Regard Neuf Award for the Best First Feature Film at Visions du Réel edition 2015.
She moved recently to Lebanon where she is preparing her second feature long documentary "Chaos".
 

Reem is a filmmaker & a renowned Syrian actress, born in Damascus 1977. She holds a B.A from the "Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts" in Damascus, Reem took part in in many remarkable Theatre plays, films and TV series. She enrolled at the Film Academy in Amman in 2007, specializing in documentary films. Her journey as a filmmaker started in 2000, when she directed her first short film "Nostalgia". In 2008 she directed her first documentary "Zabad" (Foam) which gained international recognition and participated in many international festivals.

Filmography “HANIN”   Short film (4') .“ZABAD” Documentary (41')

Syrian Palestinian writer, musician and singer. Born in Yarmouk Camp (1982). Abo Ghabi holds a B.A. in Journalism from "Damascus University". He took part in establishing "Reaction" the Palestinian Creative Collective in Al Yarmouk Camp, Damascus, in which he participated in the collective direction of several short films & theater plays.

Abo Ghabi composed music original scores for many films & theatrical plays. His repertoire includes collaborations with musicians from around the world, and he recently launched his album "Hijaz Harb" in Beirut.

Filmography :"BLUE" Short Film 

Orwa Mokdad (Syria – born in 1985) is a journalist and filmmaker.

He graduated from the Faculty of Journalism at the Damascus University.

He has published opinion articles since 2010 in various Syrian newspapers, in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat and in Lebanese news websites NOW and Al-Modon.

He wrote the script of various theater plays and TV series. He covered developments in Deraa from 2011 to 2014 for Al-Jazeera, BBC, France 24 and Orient TV.

In 2011, he co-founded a local newspaper entitled Suryatuna. Al Mokdad directed four documentary short films.

"Being Good So Far" Filmography

“Resurrection”, 2018

Being good so far Part 2 https://youtu.be/ViMJT3y8slQ "Under Aleppo Sky" "Under the Tank" "Being Good so Far2" "Street Music" winner of Best Audiovisual Contribution by Samir Kassir Foundation - 2014.