cover of episode Syrian TV dramas during a post-Assad Ramadan

Syrian TV dramas during a post-Assad Ramadan

2025/3/3
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#tv&film#arts#political commentary#political and social commentary#literature and publishing#entertainment industry insights#experiences in conflict zones#geopolitical conflict People
I
Inas Haqqi
K
Krista Salamandra
Topics
@Inas Haqqi : 我对叙利亚电视剧有深刻的童年回忆,这与我父亲作为知名导演和制片人的职业以及我祖父对历史剧的评论习惯密不可分。在阿萨德统治时期,叙利亚艺术家面临着持续不断的审查制度,我们无法触及与阿萨德政权、军队和腐败相关的任何主题。安全部队会经常来剧组检查,对批评政权的艺术家进行威胁,许多人因此流亡海外。我本人也因为支持叙利亚革命而离开叙利亚,寻求政治表达的自由。如今,阿萨德下台后,叙利亚的文化领域出现复兴迹象,这对于叙利亚艺术家来说是一个重大的时刻,许多流亡艺术家返回叙利亚,并对未来充满希望。我们能够再次聚在一起,克服过去的政治和意识形态分歧,这预示着叙利亚电视剧行业的复兴。 @Krista Salamandra : 叙利亚电视剧在叙利亚社会中扮演着重要的社会角色,它允许人们讨论敏感的政治问题,例如《大马士革之日》就引发了现象级的关注。叙利亚电视剧具有独特的风格,包括真实场景、实地拍摄和具有普遍共鸣的主题,使其在阿拉伯世界广泛流行。其主题涵盖历史、社会现实等多个方面,反映了社会结构和政治现实的批判。阿拉伯电视剧与斋月联系起来是在20世纪80年代,叙利亚电视剧在20世纪90年代开始在阿拉伯地区流行。电视剧《Habak》因其演员阵容和题材的敏感性,在叙利亚引发了广泛关注,因为它首次直接描绘了叙利亚领导层和政权更迭。在阿萨德统治时期,叙利亚电视剧无法直接涉及领导层,只能通过隐喻的方式表达对政府的批评,创作者和观众都擅长在审查制度下进行隐喻性表达和解读。叙利亚电视行业受到战争和制裁的严重影响,许多艺术家流亡海外,但在战争期间也进行了一些国际合作。叙利亚电视行业一直依靠低成本运作,这既是其劣势也是其优势,促进了叙利亚艺术家的创造力。阿萨德下台后,叙利亚文化领域出现复兴迹象,但同时也存在对未来艺术自由的担忧,电视剧制作人对未来的艺术自由感到乐观但也有担忧,特别是关于社会和性别议题的表达。我期待叙利亚现实主义电视剧的复兴,它将更加坦率地展现社会现实和日常生活,叙利亚艺术家们拥有一个创作的开放空间,他们将讲述许多以前未曾讲述的故事,例如流亡、回归、重建和团聚的故事。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Explore the significance of Syrian TV dramas during Ramadan, their unique appeal, and how they became a staple in Arab households during this holy month.
  • Syrian dramas are a cultural mainstay during Ramadan, akin to Mexican telenovelas in popularity.
  • These dramas often tackle sensitive political issues under the guise of storytelling.
  • The Damascene Milia serials, such as 'Bab al-Hara', are particularly popular, blending nostalgia with folklore.

Shownotes Transcript

Ramadan is peak season for watching Syrian TV dramas, a cherished tradition once stifled by censorship under Bashar al-Assad's regime. Writers, actors and directors were exiled, yet many still shaped popular series. As creatives return home, how will Syria’s TV and film industry evolve in a post-Assad era?

In this episode:

  • Christa Salamandra (@csalamand), Professor of anthropology at Lehman College
  • Inas Hakki (@inas_hakki), Film director

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker and Chloe K. Li, with Sarí el-Khalili, Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Marcos Bartolomé, Melanie Marich, Hanah Shokeir, and our guest host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Kylene Kiang.

The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Sarí el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, Amy Walters, and Noor Wazwaz. Our editorial interns are Melanie Marich, Hagir Saleh and Hanah Shokeir. Our guest host is Kevin Hirten. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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