Screening of «Surviving Syria’s Prisons», a finalist in the Investigative Long category at the 2025 DIG Awards.
Screening followed by a Q&A with directors Sasha Joelle-Achilli and Sara Obeidat.
PRODUCTION: BBC
DISTRIBUTION: BBC Two, PBS Frontline
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
DATE: June 2025
LENGTH: 74′
DIRECTED BY: Sasha Joelle Achilli, Sara Obeidat
In December 2024, the world witnessed the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, ending 13 years of civil war. The historic moment uncovered a grim legacy: more than 100,000 citizens who vanished under the regime, disappeared into impenetrable prisons and mass graves. «Surviving Syria's Prisons» exposes one of the most brutal campaigns of repression in modern history, told through the voices of both victims and perpetrators, including intelligence officers and prison guards who oversaw torture and executions. Their confessions intertwine with the powerful story of two brothers who survived Assad’s prison network, weaving a narrative that lays bare the regime’s atrocities against its own people.
