Narratives of Today: Support Film Tours in Syria 2025 – 2026


Ettijahat – Independent Culture, in partnership with Aflamuna, announces that we are continuing to receive applications from Syrian filmmakers residing in Syria and abroad, with the aim of programming multiple public screening tours of films they have produced over the past fourteen years, and making them available for screening to the public in various Syrian governorates and regions.

This initiative aims to enhance the right of the Syrian public to watch Syrian cinema produced over the past years, enable filmmakers to screen their cinematic works to audiences from all walks of life and in all places, expand the scope of access to different audiences in their local contexts, and create spaces for dialogue between Syrians about their conditions and the priorities of the current phase based on the various issues raised by Syrian cinema.

The initiative provides financial resources ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 euros to cover the costs of setting up screening venues and discussions, or part of local and international travel fees, and any necessary costs for the screenings.

To view frequently asked questions and fill out the application form, please click here.

Over the past fourteen years, Syrian cinema has sought to accompany public life in all its aspects, and has played a vital role in documenting and shaping narratives that point to the struggles and challenges of the Syrian people. Even as global attention and support for Syrians began to wane across various fields, cinematic works presented alternative narratives about Syria, its diaspora, and the issues that concern its people, emphasising the importance of empowering Syrians to reclaim their agency through artistic works that touch on many aspects of the dreams and challenges they experienced.

This initiative stems from the right to present these works and discuss them with the Syrian public and in the public sphere, from the importance of going beyond a single screening in a major city, and from the conviction that the path of peaceful and political transition that we seek for Syria requires the existence of frameworks for discussion, dialogue, and exchange of ideas between Syrian citizens, and that cinematic works with their stories and content can provide open, critical, and inclusive spaces to contribute to these dialogues.

To view the film tours supported by the first cycle of the initiative, please click here.

Application Process

  • This initiative aims to support multi-screening tours in different Syrian cities during 2026.
  • This initiative is dedicated to screening Syrian films of all kinds (narrative, documentary, short films, animated films), regardless of their production source. Ettijahat and Aflamuna will explore, in cooperation with local institutions, the possibility of designing tours for Arab film screenings in the future.
  • Although priority is given to films produced during the past fourteen years, requests for screening tours of films that were produced before that period that have not had public screenings in Syria, or that contribute to discussing the priorities of cultural and public life, can be considered.
  • Applications for support can be received from filmmakers and/or film producers regardless of their location. Applications can also be received from owners of film clubs, collectives, and cultural spaces. Residents of Syria can apply to this initiative if they wish to organise screening tours within their cities of residence or in other cities.
  • We hope to receive diverse applications targeting screenings in major cities and beyond, ensuring the engagement of diverse groups and providing safe spaces for dialogues following film screenings.
  • Screening tours require that film screenings be accompanied by discussion sessions following the screenings, with filmmakers and/or individuals who provide space for artistic and public discussions.
  • These screenings do not have to be of films that have not been screened before, provided that obtaining screening approvals is the responsibility of the programmers.
  • This initiative does not support programming a single screening and does not require a specific number of screenings within the tour. The tour may consist of multiple screenings in one location or in several locations.
  • Current Ettijahat staff members, general assembly members, first-degree relatives of staff members, or any artistic projects involving personal collaborations with Ettijahat staff are not eligible to apply.
  • Current beneficiaries of other Ettijahat programs are not eligible to apply, while those who closed their grants before the end of 2024 may apply.
  • A specialised and independent committee of filmmakers will study the applications received and consider the following criteria in their evaluation:
  1. The proposal submitted for the screening tour
  2. The location(s) where the tour takes place and the target audience
  3. The feasibility of the proposal in terms of cost and tour route

Key Dates

For inquiries, please write to grants@ettijahat.org

This call is part of a strategic collaboration between Ettijahat and Aflamuna that began in 2022 to promote the right to cinema in Syria. This year's collaboration includes, in addition to this tour, the Masahat Syria programme, preceded by the joint publication of the Different Approaches to Documentary Filmmaking series.

This call is supported by the France Embassy in Syria, Stichting DOEN  and Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

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