INTERFILM 41 International Short Film Festival Berlin
4 - 9 November 2025

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WEAVING TOMORROWS

FOCUS 05 Back from Exile - Homage Bassel Shehadeh

Syrian filmmaker and activist Bassel Shehadeh filmed his homeland between bombs, drums, street protests and quiet everyday life until his murder at the hands of regime forces in Homs in 2012. "Back from Exile" brings together his films, which capture the courage of people surrounded by violence, documenting both resistance and hope. From the rubble to celebrations under fire, Shehadeh’s images reveal joy, fear, and resilience. Intimate, poetic, and unflinching, they weave together memory, resistance, trauma, and zest for life.

Curated by: Somar Jbawi
All films will be shown in their original language with English subtitles.

07.11.25, 18:00h, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA

09.11.25, 20:30h, Kino & Bar in der Königstadt

Back from Exile - Homage Bassel Shehadeh
Back from Exile - Homage Bassel Shehadeh

Curatorial Statement: Somar Jbawi

What drives a survivor to walk willingly back into hell? What compels a filmmaker to trade the safety of exile for the frontlines of his homeland, armed only with a camera and an unshakable belief that truth must be told? These questions haunted me when I first met Bassel’s work ... READ MORE

Back from Exile - Homage Bassel Shehadeh

In addition to the programme we recommend the case study by Somar Jbawi:

FORUM 03 Case Study: Undo Censorship (Ctrl+Z) – The Director’s Cut! with Somar Jbawi & Alfoz Tanjour

Back from Exile - Homage Bassel Shehadeh

Presented with the support of Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und gesellschaftliche Teilhabe

Back from Exile - Homage Bassel Shehadeh

Presented with the support of Goethe-Institut im Exil

Back from Exile - Homage Bassel Shehadeh

In Cooperation

Bewegliche Ziele e.V. in Cooperation with interfilm Berlin

4 films
Hadiyat Sabah as-Sabt

Hadiyat Sabah as-Sabt

Saturday Morning Gift

Bassel Shehadeh // Syria // 2010 // 03:52 min

Live Action

A boy recounts how he survived the war in Lebanon in 2006 - extremely up-close and intimate, and marked by youthful curiosity amidst the rubble and the struggles of everyday life.

[Content Note: War]

Shawari'na... Ihtifaliyyat al-Hurriyya

Shawari'na... Ihtifaliyyat al-Hurriyya

Our Streets... A Celebration of Freedom

Bassel Shehadeh // Syria // 2012 // 24:28 min

Documentary

The streets of Syria as a stage for rebellion. Bassel films the first wave of the revolution, where hope, protest and joy collide – between barricades and drums, vivid and unflinching.

[Content Note: War]

Milad Majid, Homs

Milad Majid, Homs

Merry Christmas Homs

Bassel Shehadeh // Syria // 2012 // 14:35 min

Documentary

Christmas under the bombs. People hold on tight to faith and joy – even when the sky is burning. Bassel's camera captures this paradoxical mix of fear and stubborn joie de vivre.

[Content Note: War]

Zakira li'n-Nisyan

Zakira li'n-Nisyan

A Memory for Forgetfulness

Bassel Shehadeh // United States // 2011 // 06:43 min

Experimental

A poetic dive into Palestine's collective memory. Inspired by Mahmoud Darwish, Bassel explores how trauma is preserved and memories are stacked against forgetting.