Syrian director Ossama Mohamed was exiled to France in 2011 and was in tormented by the news of civil unrest in Syria. An online chat with filmmaker Bedirxan about what he would shoot were he still in Homs formed the genesis of this new film. The film begins with the caption “Shot by 1,001 Syrians.” Just as Scheherazade was able to stop the king from killing her with 1,001 stories over as many nights, the directors seem to hope that the tragedy in Syria can be stopped by the footages shot at the risk of their lives. Gruesome images of dead children, adults and mutilated animals are contrasted with images of people sitting comfortably on the other side of the globe, hitting a nerve in those watching. Meanwhile Mohammed is powerless, able only to film the sky. Their conversations are poetic and a painful Zen riddle, underscored by an elaborate collage of sounds, creating layers of rhythm with the sounds of gunshots, typing, message alerts and beautiful music. Homs is thus able to escape physical and political isolation. (CHO Hyeyoung)