I AM THE ONE WHO BRINGS FLOWERS TO HER GRAVE (ANA ALATI TAHMOL AZOUHOUR ILA QABRIHA)

Exiled for twenty-five years, Hala Abadallah reflects on loss and human resilience in a personal exploration of her homeland of Syria. The director weaves together interviews with three of her friends who left Syria for France many years ago with footage of her husband Youssef Abdelki, a painter, who we see reunited with his mother after a long hiatus. She embarks upon a journey through the Syrian landscape, seeks refuge by the sea, and contemplates of the power of poetry and the poetic in everyday life. This is a film about the almost forgotten life stories of Syrian dissidents. Between resignation and quiet hope, it takes an intuitive approach, unravelling layer by layer an image of Syria and the people who have chosen to live in exile, geographical exile, inner exile. This is a story of longing, a story of inner wounds. This poignant film is the culmination of all the films the director ever dreamt of making.

"A film like a puzzle in black and white, made up of journeys and returns that speak of prison and exile, the past and the present, love and death. A film that speaks of the importance of poetry." (Hala Abadallah)

Award: Best Documentary, International Filmfestival Venice 2006