The immortal Sergeant

Ziad Kalthoum  |  Documentary Film  |  2013  |  Syria
Producer: "Director: Ziad Kalthoum Producer: Dima Al Joundi"
My mandatory military service was done. I was then held in the army reserve with the revolution in my country. I was stuck for a whole year, waiting for my discharge, with no hope in sight. My military rank was sergeant. I was assigned to run Bassel AL Assad theatre that hasn’t screened a film in 15 years. I go back to my house in the middle of Damascus, take off my military suit to return to my city and to my normal life. I work with my friend Mohammed Malas on his feature film as an assistant director. I hold my small camera and try to document our daily activities where all the technicians, mainly from the opposition, tell me their stories. Some of them had their houses shelled, some of them emigrated and doesn’t know where they are going next and some of them had their friends killed and their families displaced. I got back home, I sit and watch the news about destruction, violence, shelling… The sun rises anew, I wake up once more and put on my military suit, and go off to my military base to start a new day.