“Compact” is the obvious name I called this short documentary, composed of documentary footage from Damascus’s biggest bus station located beneath “The Bridge of The President”, and the surrounding streets and other three short films.
Majd who is an instructor at the faculty of Fine Arts documents some minutes of his trip to the University. Later a very important addition came, three videos made by the street photographer Mohammad Nammour showcasing what is happening inside the public transportation.
The importance of the material lies in the fact that raising a camera or cellphone in public places in Syria is simply not allowed, therefore to do it, while walking in the streets as Majd did, or sitting at a very close distance from other strangers as Nammour did, may have severe consequences. Without this kind of inside observation, no matter how short or reduced it is, the real suffering of the Syrian street will always be lost and unacknowledged.
In one of these videos, we see a very awkward argument between a passenger and a microbus driver, reflecting the heavy impacts of the economical catastrophe in Syria. Witnessing how the Syrian lira value is dropping continuously until it becomes an old piece of paper that everyone is trying to get rid of.
In this video three artists attempt to channel some of what it feels like, not just the traffic, but everything else, we guess…
Video diary and documentation by Majd Hinnawi
Chapters 2.3.8 from “A Very Short Film” series
by Mouhammad Nammour
Scripted dialogue by Rand Ibrahim
Street and bus complaints: the people
Edit and concept: Rand Ibrahim