To Save a Life and Q&A w/ Omar Al Farouq

Syrian Doc Days screening

There will be tea, coffee, and Syrian sweets.

To Save a Life

Set against the devastating February 2023 earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria, this documentary follows the harrowing story of a family trapped beneath the rubble. As time runs out, a team of White Helmets volunteers races to rescue them, showcasing the profound value of life-saving efforts and the strength of the human spirit in the face of catastrophe. Through the lens of survival, it captures the resilience and solidarity that emerge in the aftermath of one of the most destructive natural disasters.

Omar Al Farouq

I graduated in 2007 from the Faculty of Arts, Department of Media and Communication at Damascus University. Over the years, I have had the chance to take part in several professional training programs with institutions such as IWPR UK, Al Jazeera Media Training Center, the German Foreign Ministry and DW, and the Dubai Press Club in collaboration with CNN.

My professional journey started in journalism and television in 2007, where I worked at many newspapers, magazines and TV, and in 2017 I joined Syria TV as a Senior Producer, then as Head of Programs and Head of Production, before taking on my current role as Director of Al Thania TV, a channel focused on drama, entertainment, and news.

Documentary filmmaking has always been my passion. During my time at Syria TV, I supervised more than 20 short and feature-length documentaries. My first directorial work was “The Timed Death”, followed by “Hatem”, a film about the late director Hatem Ali. Most recently, I worked as the executive producer on “This Sea is Mine”, which was awarded Best Documentary at the Kotka Human Rights Film Festival in Finland in 2024.