Films in shooting or post-production
CHRONICLES FROM THE SIEGE
Synopsis
Chronicles from the Siege portrays the transformation of residents of a war zone as they face the harsh realities of survival. Through five stories, the film presents moments of humanity, dark humor, and difficult choices. In search of food, Arafat encounters a stranger who offers him a piece of bread, prompting reflection on hunger and despair. Young survivors discover VHS tapes in an abandoned store and are torn between burning them for warmth or preserving the past. Walid's addiction to smoking illustrates the absurd inflation of values under siege. Fares risks his safety to spend a moment of intimacy with his girlfriend amid bombings, while Saleh, a war profiteer, desperately searches for blood to save his wife, who is about to give birth. These chronicles explore the challenging decisions people must make under extreme conditions.
Talal Khoury
Talal Khoury
Amine Bouhafa
Nadim Rimawi, Saja Kilani, Ahmed Zitouni, Ahmad Kontar, Kassem Alkhoja, Walid Fedriche, Idir Benaibouche, Emad Azmi, Maria Zreik
Director’s statement
Siege has two faces: the physical, where space shrinks and even the air feels shared, and the psychological, where time closes in and attacks the spirit. Siege doesn't kill directly; rather, it makes one lose the sense of life. It distorts memory, leaving one on the edge of madness, without memories for protection. Chronicles from the Siege is my way of freeing my memory through five stories, both independent and interconnected, set in an undefined location during a siege. Ordinary characters, united only by their shared environment, face this trial. The film explores the human contradictions that emerge under the pressures of siege, revealing aspects not seen in daily life. I offer a unique perspective, telling authentic stories I have lived. My goal is to present a deeper and more human portrayal, different from the usual war films about my region, which often depict its inhabitants as stripped of dignity and willpower.
Biographies
Abdallah Al Khatib was born in Damascus in 1989 and currently resides in Germany. A director, writer, and human rights defender, he identifies as Palestinian-Syrian. He studied sociology at the University of Damascus and is currently continuing his studies in Germany. Al Khatib was named Peacemaker of the Year in 2014 by German Greenpeace and won the Swedish Per Anger Prize for Human Rights in 2016. His award-winning debut documentary, Little Palestine—Diary of a Siege (2021), was selected for several festivals, including Visions du Réel and the Acid program at the Festival de Cannes. In 2023, he began working in fiction with his short film Sokrania 59.
Algerian-Tunisian producer and director Salah Issaad resides in France. After completing his film studies in France, he founded the production company Evidence Film. He directed and produced his first feature film, Soula (2021), which was selected for numerous international festivals and has won more than 30 awards worldwide. Together with his brother Taqiyeddine, Issaad continues to support emerging directors, notably Abdallah Al Khatib, whose first short fiction film, Sokrania 59 (2023) he produced. The Issaads have since begun production on Al Khatib's first feature-length fiction film, Chronicles from the Siege.
