SORGUL SHEXO

Qamishlo – In Syria, where attacks against Alawites intensified, filmmaker Intisar Hezim and her family were forced to move to a safer area where their identity would not be violated. Born in 1974, Intisar Hezim turned toward seeking a life where she could be protected both as a woman and in her Alawite faith, due to the ineffectiveness of the interim administration and the massacres of the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Continuing her cinematic journey with the Rojava Film Commune in North and East Syria, Intisar Hezim uses cinema as a tool of resistance and freedom of expression at a time when HTS has targeted life and art. Filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and scriptwriting trainer, Intisar Hezim told our agency about her artistic journey.

Artistic journey

Intisar Hezim began her artistic journey by writing short stories. Calling this period a “beginning,” Intisar said that over the years she wrote many storybooks and participated in various festivals. Over time, she turned toward screenwriting, emphasizing that she studied and learned this field with love. Drawing strength from her experience and success in screenwriting, Intisar stepped into directing and continues her artistic journey as a director.

With her first film “Closed Windows,” Intisar transferred her ideas from paper to screen in the world of cinema and directing; for her, this was also a period of transition and a new roadmap.

Producing and directing “Closed Windows” and “The Taste of Water,” Intisar took an important step toward her true self in the world of cinema, discovering her inner strength. But she did not only continue on her own path; she also wrote scripts for her friends and cinema institutions, contributing to their successes. Speaking about her experience of stepping into the world of cinema, Intisar said: “It was a wonderful experience. Especially the first time I went behind the camera, in those first moments I felt that I should disappear or hide.”

Being a woman in the world of art

Speaking about the difficulties she faced with the concept of “being a woman,” Intisar once again revealed the reality of the patriarchal mindset embedded in academic and scientific institutions. As a film director, Intisar emphasized how difficult it was to be a woman, saying: “In the Middle East, achieving this equation is very difficult. No matter how much I worked, my work was viewed from a narrow perspective, seen as small and insignificant. Proving my existence as a woman was not easy.”

“I am here too”

Pointing to the reality of cinema in Syria, Intisar said: “Cinema in Syria was very weak, and there was no private or independent cinema, everything was tied to public cinema institutions. Since there was no private cinema, women had no opportunities to actively participate in this field as themselves.” With her resilience, faith, talent, and strong mindset, Intisar gave the message: “I am here too.”

As a woman who had experienced hardships, Intisar used her identity as a director and screenwriter to focus her work on women’s issues and to support women in standing on their own feet and making their presence more active in the field. Intisar stressed the great importance of this project for herself, saying that she and a group of Syrian women directors worked hard to establish the project and carry it forward. The project consisted of a group of women directors making films about women and children. But according to Intisar, the project could not be completed due to political circumstances.

Attacks on art

Drawing attention to the current situation in Syria, Intisar emphasized HTS’s closures of art venues and bans: “In the past few months not only cinema, but also cultural ideas and all forms of art were banned and shut down. Art is under siege,” she said, adding: “The ideas with which they want to rebuild Syria are jihadist ideas. They do not allow the existence of art or of women. Under the current conditions in Syria, women cannot even be mothers, let alone teachers or lawyers. Real change in the country can only be possible through political change.”

“Women are left between abandoning their professions and fleeing the country”

Intisar described the current situation of Syrian women as follows: “The situation of many women directors, filmmakers, lawyers, and doctors is not good. Women are left between abandoning their professions and fleeing the country. Either they leave and start a new life, or they stay and resist. Women in Syria are stuck between these two options.”

She turned toward North and East Syria

Intisar describes her relationship with the Kurdish people as one of her oldest ties. Sharing her views about them, Intisar said: “They are an enlightened, lively community that loves life. That’s why my family and I decided to leave Homs. We first turned toward North and East Syria. Then I joined the Rojava Film Commune. Here, there is a clear goal of reaching real cinema. This was a goal we could not see but truly needed within Syria.”

She emphasized the difference between the systems of the two regions: “While the coastal strip and Syria’s overall internal system were based on institutions, here the system is based on communality and collectivity. The idea of communality affects both our work and our way of life. You can feel and see the spirit of communality in the works produced by the Commune. Most importantly, there is a clarity of thought that brings people closer to understanding the truth of cinema.”

Preparing for the Rojava International Film Festival

Intisar is preparing for the 5th Rojava International Film Festival to be held in November, working to bring together Syrian films from Egypt, Iraq, and Tunisia. Her aim is to create a good definition of Syrian cinema and to build artistic and cinematographic relations between the Syrian coast and North and East Syria. Because for her, cinema is life itself.

“It is hard to think about cinema in the face of massacres”

Speaking about massacres against Alawite women, Intisar said: “The situation is still hot, it is hard to step aside and think about cinema. This is part of another process where we can step back, look at this cause from a broader perspective, and build something for it. It is very important to shed light on this cause. But right now everyone is preoccupied with life and with saving life—that is what matters most. The wounds of the Alawites are still bleeding, so we cannot put humanity aside and start looking at cinema only through the eyes of a filmmaker.”

“HTS has committed many crimes”

Highlighting the suffering caused by HTS, Intisar said: “We experienced very bad things. Our homes were attacked in the most vile way, robbed and looted. We were subjected to humiliating words. The daughters of my friends were kidnapped, and that was one of the hardest situations. HTS has committed many crimes. Just a few days ago, they came and killed our neighbor’s daughter in her house in Homs and left.”

“The only way is resistance”

Pointing to Syria’s history of many civilizations, Intisar emphasized that jihadist and dark thinking will not last long and that Syria is greater than them. She also underlined that from now on, the only way forward is resistance.

Concluding her remarks with an address to women, Intisar said: “We hope the kidnapped women will return to their families. Also, all women will be able to say ‘we exist,’ become active, and assert their presence. Cinema is a highly developed intellectual and visual art. As long as I am engaged in cinema, I am alive. That is why it doesn’t matter where and under what circumstances I carry out my cinema work; what matters is whether it is at the local or international level.”

Awards received by Intisar Hezim

Intisar Hezim has won several awards: Best Director Award with the film “Closed Windows”; Best Screenplay Award with “The Taste of Water”; Golden Award for Contemporary Reality Screenplay with “My Name is a Story”; Golden Award for Screenwriting with “Children Fly Like Birds”; “It Should Have Been” Screenplay Award; and a Screenplay Award with the feature film “Elya.”