“Syria: Years Of Devastating War” is a documentary film reporting the situation in Syria from the beginning of the uprising in 2011. IMAGESLIVE has been on the ground during the entire conflict. Journalist and film-maker Medyan Dairieh has captured the events from the beginning of the Syrian Revolution through the six years of armed struggle. With his camera he has borne witness to men, women and children living through the conflict.

At the beginning of the revolution Medyan got to know many people deeply involved in the war, as well as their children. Many have since lost their lives. Medyan kept filming five of their children over the years, focusing on the impact of war and destruction on how they were growing up.

With his exclusive access to many of the disparate armed groups involved in the fighting, Medyan has been able to help the participants tell their stories in their own voices. These include the different battalions of the Free Syrian Army, as well as all the Jihadist groups including the An-Nusra Front and the Islamic State.

Alongside Medyan there are many talented journalists. And tragically, IMAGESLIVE has not been immune to the cost of the war. Two years ago, aspiring Syrian photojournalist Osama Jumaa joined IMAGESLIVE. Within a year he began showing enormous talent in how he covered the conflict, always maintaining the highest integrity, impartiality, and professionalism in his work. Unlike many other young Syrians, Osama had not joined any of the warring factions nor any party or organization, and always kept a fully non-partisan approach to the war. The conflict took its toll when he was killed by artillery fire in Aleppo.

Another dedicated photo journalist, Basem Ayoubi, filmed in Aleppo and stayed in the city during the fall of rebel-held East Aleppo and the subsequent evacuation. He captured the almost impossible conditions faced by residents in Aleppo, especially as they were waiting to be evacuated, and in the severely hit Jerusalem hospital. Basem deliberately chose to be among the very last group of people to leave the Syrian city in 2017, his dedication meaning he could cover the conflict right up to the retaking of the city by the Syrian regime.

They have seen firsthand the devastating effects of war on the country and on its people. Around them, 400,000 people have been killed and 10 million have fled their homes. Capturing the impact on people caught up in the conflict and understanding how it has influenced the development of children who have known little else has driven IMAGESLIVE on, despite the danger of working among the destruction.

Facts:
The UN special envoy for Syria has estimated that 400,000 people have been killed in the war. The spread and intensification of fighting has led to a dire humanitarian crisis, and according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs over 5 million people have fled Syria since 2011, 6.3 million people are currently displaced in the country, while 4.5 million people are in hard to reach and besieged areas and in great need of humanitarian aid.