BACK / Berlinale 2023

BACK / Berlinale 2023

A chase, footsteps closing in; as you approach your house, it moves further away. This is a recurring nightmare, shared by many Syrians who have fled their homeland. At night they find themselves back in their hometowns, running, chased by invisible men. They’re looking for a safe place they can never reach. BACK dives into this nightmare to examine where it stems from. Did the trauma start at the protests against Bashar al-Assad, like it did for director Yazan Rabee? Or do we have to go back further to the terror during the reign of Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad?

Director & Screenwriter Yazan Rabee
Cinematographer Maarten Kramer
Executive producer Laura Verduijn (Prospektor)
Creative producer Eefje Blankevoort (Prospektor)
Coproducer Philippe Avendano Vera (Artillerie) & De ontmoeting: Sacha Gertsik
Production Company(ies) Prospektor, Artillerie & De Ontmoeting

BACK / Berlinale 2023
  • BACK /Berlinale 2023

    A chase, footsteps closing in; as you approach your house, it moves further away. This is a recurring nightmare, shared by many Syrians who have fled their homeland. At night they find themselves back in their hometowns, running, chased by invisible men. They’re looking for a safe place they can ...