Watar: A Local Initiative for the Syrian Population

Thanks to this support, the members of Watar, a group of artists and video makers based in Aleppo, are able to carry on filming in Syria.

By making short films and sketches intended for both the people of Syria and the wider world, the members of Watar are working to bring together the population and once again unite the country, which has been deeply divided by the ongoing civil war.
"Watar was born out of our desire to speak out about the future of Syria and the Syrian people, a people who love life and are passionate about culture. Syria is much more than just bloodshed and bombs. We want to look towards the future and show that it's still possible to be creative even in times of war," explains Jawad, the singer/filmmaker of the group.

The web series Umm Abdo, which gives an account of the day-to-day life of an Aleppo housewife who is played by a 13-year-old girl, has just been selected to be screened at the Series Mania Festival, which will be held at the Forum des Images in Paris.

At the end of March 2015, to mark the anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, the group organised a festival in Aleppo, bringing together some 800 people (men and women, children and the elderly). The schedule included plays, concerts, songs and folk dances:

To bring this festival to fruition, the three members of Watar – Allord, Jawad and Yaman – devised the schedule, wrote the plays, composed the songs and produced the set. " Theresponse from the public was incredible, and we were able to film the celebrations with the equipment provided by CFI and the European Union - the difference in quality is clear! Our next web series will focus on various issues being faced by Syrian society and instances of corruption, with filming scheduled to take place between mid-June and mid-July."