Privacy of Wounds

Hasan, Mazen, and Khaldoon are former prisoners of conscience from some of Syria’s most notorious prisons. Convinced that the three strangers will communicate openly and honestly with each other, the director observes them from the outside of a simulated prison cell in Oslo, using three remote-controlled cameras.

Despite the horrors they experienced in captivity in Syria, these men never gave up hope for a brighter future. Dalia Kury’s documentary raises awareness about how the three men apprehend their own state of being, and what type of psychological challenges they have to deal with. Their dialogue and reflections about the war in Syria invites the audience into a soulful journey, highlighting what life is really about.

Privacy of Wounds is about what survivors tell themselves to conquer their ghosts from the past.

Discussion after the screening

Following the screening, two of the former prisoners of conscience, Mazen Esmaiel and Khaldoon Hawaley, will take part in a conversation about life in and after prison, and what it means to be a political prisoner in Syria, together with director Dalia Kury, and moderated by Zeina Bali.

This event is part of the HUMAN International Film Festival, in collaboration with  SPACE – Syrian Peace Action Centre and Fritt Ord.