"I have a scream I want the whole world to hear, but I wonder if it will resonate." - Queens of Syria

Amidst the raging conflict in Syria, and the growing controversy over Syrian refugees in Canada and abroad, Syrian Speaks provides rare glimpses into the lives of Syrians whose personal narratives speak to the dire conditions that continue to be faced by millions at home and abroad.

A combination of cutting edge films, book presentation and informed conversation, Syria Speaks seeks to open up critical discourse on the global implications and the urgency of the Syrian crisis.

Doors open 5:30pm. Event starts 6 pm.

Featured Film: Queens of Syria (BC Premiere, preceded by selected short films & animations)
Director: Yasmin Fedda | Jordan, United Arab Emirates, UK | 70 min | Arabic with English subtitles

Winner of the Best Director from the Arab World at Abu Dhabi Film Festival (2014)

Fifty women from Syria, all forced into exile in Jordan, came together to create and perform their own version of the Trojan Women, the timeless Ancient Greek tragedy all about the plight of women in war. What followed was an extraordinary moment of cross-cultural contact across millennia, in which women born in 20th century Syria found a blazingly vivid mirror of their own experiences in the stories of a queen, princesses and ordinary women like them, uprooted, enslaved, and bereaved by the Trojan War.

Watch the trailer: https://vimeo.com/86996865

Featured Books:
Syria Speaks: Art of Culture from the Frontline (2014)
A unique anthology providing a window into Syrian art and writing since the uprising and a celebration of a people determined to reclaim their dignity, freedom and self-expression.

Hanan al-Cinema: Affections for the Moving Image (2015)
One of the most well-researched and engaging books on the recent history of film and video works from the Arabic-speaking world and an urgently required text on the subject.

Special Guests: Laura Marks, Malu Halasa, Mark Hamilton, Sibeal Foyle, Rahim Othman (moderator)