Syria through a lens: another future is possible

All the news coming out of Syria at present seems negative, and bound up with remorseless cycles of violence and the huge refugee and internal displacement crisis, which is impacting millions of people.

But there are other stories to be seen and heard: ones which show that another way forward is possible.

Syria Through A Lens is a film that brings together a collection of works by and about Bassel Shehadeh, capturing the beauty of Syria and the inspirational courage of the Syrian people in the face of adversity.

Bassel Shehadeh was a Syrian film producer and well-respected activist, killed on 28 May 2012 during a government assault on a neighbourhood in Homs.

This showing will take place in Edinburgh on the anniversary of his death, Tuesday 28 May 2013.

Shehadeh played an integral role in organising and documenting the peaceful protests that swept Syria since the Arab Spring - before the descent into carnage, bloodshed and factionalism that has marked recent tragic developments.

The screening will be followed by a discusion panel highlighting some key features about the Syrian revolution, and examining the role and extent of peaceful activism in the context of increasing violence.

The panel will include a Syrian activist and a friend of Bassel, Laura Pyott, who is a researcher on the conflict and on creative resistance. It will be chaired by Ewan Stein, Acting Joint Director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World at the University of Edinburgh.

The event is being co-organised by the film makers, by the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) and by the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

A reception will take place after the event. Entry is free, but registration is required through Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/6658865847/mcivte

The date and time is: Tuesday 28 May 2013, from 6:30pm - 8:30pm.

The venue is: Hugh Robson Building, Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD.