Shapeshifting

التماهي

A fascinating film that combines archival footage and intimate encounters with 14 artists to present a meditation on a collective Syrian psyche that has been forged through a decade of conflict.

This captivating essay film explores the inner-worlds of Syrian contemporary musicians and the world they inhabit, both locally and among a diaspora throughout Europe. Archive footage dives into the country’s rich nightlife and music scene, and is enriched by intimate conversations about the culture so many enjoyed. With the fall of the Assad regime, this film is an essential time capsule, exploring through creative storytelling the collective Syrian identity and profound challenges it faces, from the devastating impact of war to mass displacement. As one exiled artist, living in Amsterdam, notes: ‘Not everyone knows what it means [to be Syrian], just like not everyone knows what it means to be Palestinian’.