By Faris Rifai
(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian journalist Jaber Bakr is working on a documentary film entitled "The Last Exit from al-Waer", which monitors the bitterness of the siege and displacement, and the last scenes of the departure of the residents of al-Waer neighborhood west of the city of Homs after more than five years of heavy blockade.
Bakr, from Geroud in Damascus countryside, began his work in documentary in parallel with his journalistic work and human rights activism in 2004 after his release from Sednaya prison, but almost clandestinely due to the security conditions that were known at the time.
In the beginning of the revolution, he was interested in photography and documenting peaceful demonstrations and funeral in countryside of Damascus. Upon his arrival in France three years ago, Bakr resumed his activity in documenting human rights violations by recording interviews with rape victims and violations that took place inside prisons in Syria.
His new film, "The Last Exit from al-Waer," is his first full-length film with activist Basil al-Muhaimed.
Bakr derived the film material - as he says to Zaman Al Wasl - from the return of the young photographer Basil al-Muhaimed to the neighborhood where he was born and grew up through the so-called military line that was agreed upon from the countryside of Latakia towards the countryside of Idlib and Hamma and Salmiya to al-Waer and staying in al-Waer for about ten days and then the young photographer left with the last convoy of forced displacement after completing the filming and conducted interviews with locals.
After the agreement on the details, Basil dangerous journey started. Basil is wanted by the regime. Basil had to pass from regime-controlled areas like Salamiye and others during this trip, and after many difficulties the young activist was able to enter al-Waer neighborhood and he filmed some of the material during the ten days spent there and filmed road to displacement back and forth.
The director of the film pointed out that there are archival materials in the possession of Basil's brother, who was previously under siege in al-Waer and other materials for activists who lived in the siege of the neighborhood, transformed into a large prison that extends over 3 km. The materials were used in the preparation of the film, which is due to be completed before the end of this year.
Bakr pointed to the inclusion of his film to other axes where it will be like a cluster of grapes with many beads in each of which represent a story or a story within the neighborhood, and within the story of the film, there is detailed documentation of the negotiations that were taking place between the negotiating committee in al-Waer with regime representative Deeb Zeitoun in the first phase of the negotiations, which lasted for a year and a half until the intervention of the Russians and its management later.
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