Some of the country’s biggest stars are in Australia for the Shaam Syrian Film Festival, being screened in Sydney and Melbourne.
The festival is screening three films, all by the same director, Basil Alkhatib, all focussing on life in war, and all funded by Syria’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Last week, fans waited at Melbourne airport to greet the actors, including star Dima Kandalaft.
“From the very first moment, they’re welcoming and Australian people have good heart, they’re nice people,” she told Lateline.
Director Basil Alkhatib maintains that his films are not propaganda pieces.
“The whole films were made during war in Syria and we worked hard in dangerous circumstances,” he said.
“The three films talk about the suffering of Syrian women who found themselves in a very complicated and historic positions.
“We believe that these films will be a message for all the world about the reality of what is going on in Syria.”
He said the government had no say in the creative process.
“Mostly the script is accepted without any remarks from the Ministry of Culture and when you start shooting no one has anything to do with you,” he said.
“All the people think that the Ministry tells you what to do. I have these films and believe me, I made them all with absolute freedom, no one has to do what I’m presenting.”
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