In the “Green Poison” a short film, the young Syrian activist and director, Hamam Abu Zein, captures the suffering of displacement experienced by Syrians in general, and his family in particular, the last time they were in al-Waer neighborhood before they were forcefully displaced. In this short film, Abu Zein expresses the injustice and suffering experienced by Syrians by embodying these experiences through the stories of al-Waer neighborhood’s displaced.
The film while only a few minutes long shows us the beginning and the end of al-Waer.
Speaking to Zaman al-Wasl, Abu Zein said that the film documents the bitterness of displacement and moments that can neither be heard nor seen. He added that he tried hard to highlight the pain of separation, parting from loved ones, parting from the homeland, and parting from Homs.
Abu Zein, who worked as a manager for Homs Media Agency, has filmed five documentary films other than this recent film. The five were filmed during the siege of al-Waer including: The Unknown Soldier, The Tune of Remaining, Salt, Warm Touch, And I Depart.
Abu Zein explains that he tried to overcome the bitterness of reality while he was filming, but he could not control himself “before this great amount of grief and injustice that we are experiencing.” Green Poison, whose name symbolizes the now infamous buses used to transport the forcefully displaced, was by his own admission his most difficult filming experience due to the deep sadness that filled his heart about departing from his city.
He said that he was certain that the residents of al-Waer would be displaced and that the neighborhood would leave opposition control. He explained that while this feeling was difficult for him to deal with, he insisted on completing the film. Through the film, he wants to deliver a message to the whole world about what happened and is happening to the people of al-Waer who were trapped for more than four years in the worst and most severe conditions of siege.
Once again, the camera in its cinematic and photographic capabilities demonstrates how it is one of the heroes of al-Waer. The camera which has communicated the suffering and pain of the besieged across the years has been key to making the cry of al-Waer heard and its suffering visible to a deaf and blind world.
Regarding his relationship with the camera after he left al-Waer, Abu Zein, who is now displaced in the al-Bab area in Aleppo countryside, said that “the camera will remain my intimate friend which helps me to document all the challenges and transformations experienced by our revolution from siege to displacement.” He added that he remains true to his revolutionary career and will continue no matter what the circumstances are and regardless of where fate throws him
