Tadmor

Lebanon, France, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates   
Producer: Philippe Avril, Lokman Slim and Gabriela Bussman
Production Company: Les films de l’etranger, Umam Productions and Golden Egg Production
Language: Arabic l English & French Subtitles
Total Budget: 529,448 USD
Duration: 90 minutes
Cinematographer: Talal Khoury
Screenwriter: Monika Borgmann
Editor: Olivier Zuchuat
Sound Design: Rayan Al Obeidine

Project Synopsis:

More than 12 years after being released, eight Lebanese men break their silence about the torture, suffering, fear and humiliation they survived at Syria’s notorious Tadmor Prison. The facility is infamous for its systematic torture and psychological destruction, and by reliving their experiences, each man tells the story of how willpower and a sheer determination to live helped them make it out alive.

Monika Borgmann was born in Germany, and has worked in the Middle East as a freelance journalist since 1990. Lokman Slim was born in Lebanon, and started the publishing house Dar Al Jadeed in 1988. The two have co-founded Umam Productions and Umam Documentation & Research, a Lebanese NGO that works to resolve issues with civil violence and wartime memories. They co-wrote and directed the award-winning documentary “Massaker” in 2005.