Syria: Aleppo After Assad

A tv programme

Created by

Suzanne Allant

Produced by

Découpages

Leading French distributor

ARTE France

Production year2024

Programme formatOne-off

GenresDocumentary

Runtime 24 min

Synopsis

At the end of November 2024, a coalition of forces opposed to Bashar Al-Assad's regime seized Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, in a lightning offensive. A few days later, the Assad family's dictatorship, which had been in power since 1970, was overthrown.
Our team followed three people whose lives were completely turned upside down. Ahmad was forced to leave the eastern districts of the city in December 2016, following the siege and bombardment by the Syrian regime and its allies of these territories beyond its control. Today, he is back in his hometown. This is an opportunity for him to reunite with his loved ones, but also to revisit places that are etched in his memory.
As new mass graves are discovered every day across the country, the ordeal continues for the many families of the disappeared. Without the verified remains of their loved ones, it is difficult for families to find answers to their questions and, for most, to begin the grieving process. Razan wants to believe that she will eventually find her younger brother, who was abducted and detained by the regime in 2012.
As for Joseph, he takes us into the life of the Christian neighbourhood of Al-Aziziyah, where he works as a shopkeeper. After having to praise the ‘merits of dictatorship’ for decades, he is now convinced of the need to rebuild ties between communities and swears by the values of the peaceful revolution that began in March 2011 in Syria.