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Marwan - a film by Alaa Chanana
05/09/2013
Marwan worked at the buffet of the Spanish Cultural Center in Damascus “Cervantes” in the hope of realizing his dream of traveling to Spain and escaping from his home country. But after the formal decision of the Spanish government to shut down the Cervantes, Marwan finds himself without work, and without hope for a visa or opportunity to travel. He decides to open a small shop near his home and takes part in some protests at the beginning of the revolution, which eventually led to his detention for several days by the Syrian security forces. On the advice of his family, he leaves Syria behind and travels with his mother and brother to Alexandria/Egypt, which lets him think back about his initial dream of traveling to Spain. By sheer coincidence, he gets to know an employee at the Spanish Embassy in Alexandria and tells her about his problem, begging her to help him get a visa. His dream comes true and the Spanish Embassy grants Marwan a one week Visa. So, Marwan travels to Spain and stays there for two days before leaving for Sweden where he seeks political asylum.
But upon his stay in Sweden, Marwan senses the futility of his trip and regrets his escape from Syria, beginning to think that he should maybe return to his home country to fight and live or die there and that his dream of traveling had turned into a nightmare. He feels trapped, guilty and senses that all that happens to him is a punishment for his insane desire to leave everything behind. Marwan begins to feel that he could have stayed with his family and friends in Syria.
The camera will accompany Marwan in his new home Sweden that is nothing but a cold place to him, following him in his everyday life and his thoughts of home, living abroad and the premature aging of one who lost his home.
This film has received the support of Bidayyat's documentary grant 2013