Part of History as Hashtag: Revolution in the Age of Social Media

From Sudan to Syria, these three documentaries spotlight the power of youth to affect change, and an ability to overcome any obstacle to tell their stories.

Suddenly TV (2023)
Dir. Roopa Gogineni
18min
In Arabic with English subtitles

Following the fall of Sudan’s genocidal military regime in 2019, citizens from across the country flooded to Khartoum to demand a peaceful transition to civilian rule. In the afterglow of the success of their nonviolent youth-led movement, a sit-in protest evolved into a pseudo-utopian settlement. Amid the tents and communal kitchens, a few young revolutionaries concocted their own element of a burgeoning society: an imaginary television station.

Summer, City and a Camera (2022)
Dir. Anas Zawahri
23min
No Spoken Language

In the summer of 2021, a group of young emerging directors roamed the streets of Damascus, relying on the simple tools available to produce their first film, an intimate portrait of their complex home.

Smuggling 23 Minutes of Revolution (2011)
Dirs. Soudade Kaadan & Reem Ghazzi
23 min
In Arabic with English subtitles

The first broadcast film about the Syrian revolution, this product of a camera smuggled into Hama portrays a pivotal moment in Syria’s volatile decade. Amid hidden faces and disguised voices, one woman stands unmasked: Fidaa Al-Hourani, doctor, activist, and daughter of Akram al-Hourani. Filmed discretely within Hama, she risked her life under a brutal dictatorship to recall the uprising’s first days—the fear, the crowds, and a city daring once more to risk everything for freedom. The film was first broadcast with no credits, as its three filmmakers were living in Damascus and could not safely reveal their identities, and is screened here for the first time with credits.