The filmmaker's voice as silent, white writing on a black screen. Words that form images and emotions in us. Plus footage collected over twelve years. Friends and family of the filmmaker are confronted with the brutal consequences of the war under Assad in Syria. Life in exile in Berlin is seamlessly linked to a fulfilled life in Damascus. There is no separation between these periods in the memories. Everything is always there. Fragments that are in dialog with each other or are looking for it. The physical body writhes in restless dreams. Always questions for us, the viewers: Where does the black-and-white thinking that covers our inactivity come from? Where does this tiredness of solidarity with Syria come from?
Republic of Silence follows non-linear traces of memories that do not seek conclusions. We follow anchor points and hunches about how filmmaker Diana El Jeiroudi can cope with the loss of loved ones, her home and her country. The film can be understood as an invitation to an experience in which we follow the flow of these memories and end up in the Berlin apartment again and again. A place that gives the filmmaker and her husband outward peace. Their vulnerability never remains hidden, never imposes itself. This love story provides stability, as does the bond with friends and other filmmakers. Susanne Guggenberger
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Diana El Jeiroudi
Diana El Jeiroudi holds a Bachelor of Arts & Humanities, English Literature, from Damascus University and later received professional training in international film production and distribution at INA/Sorbonne in France. Diana's films address socio-political tensions and contradictions and span across time. She is best known for her films Dolls - A Woman from Damascus (2007) and Morning Fears, Night Chants (2012). As a producer, she has produced the award-winning film Silvered Water - Syria Self-Portrait by O. Mohamad & W. S . Bedirxan (Cannes 2014), and The Mulberry House by Oscar-nominated Sara Ishaq (IDFA 2013). Her efforts to support and promote the documentary film community and culture, particularly through the founding of DOX BOX as Syria's first documentary film festival and then as a Berlin-based documentary film support organization, have earned her various awards including the EDN Award, The Katrin Cartlidge Award and The Heart of Sarajevo. She is a member of the American Academy of Motion Pictures, the German Film Academy and the Asia-Pacific Screen Academy. She has served on several committees and juries, notably the Cannes Film Festival Golden Eye Documentary Award, Sundance Documentary Program, IDFA, AFAC and APSA Awards.