01 March 2017•Update: 01 March 2017
By Samad Dogan
ISTANBUL
A film looking into the life of civil defense volunteers in war-torn Syria has won an Oscar for best short documentary.
“We have highlighted the suffering of civilians in Syria to the world,” cinematographer Khaled Khatib told Anadolu Agency.
The 40-minute film celebrates the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group established in 2014 and operates in opposition-held areas in Syria.
It follows three rescue workers with the group -- also known as the Syrian Civil Defense -- who train in Turkey to provide medical assistance to civilians caught in the civil war.
“I believe that we have explained to the world how civilians are living under bombardment,” said Khatib, who worked on the documentary.
“The world is now quite aware how much White Helmets volunteers risk their lives to save civilians,” he said.
The Syrian activist noted that his group has saved the lives of more than 82,000 civilians. “We have lost 168 volunteers,” he said.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the regime of Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.
Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and upwards of 10 million displaced across the war-torn country, according to the UN. The Syrian Center for Policy Research puts the death toll at more than 470,000.
Humanitarian mission
Khatib was unable to attend the Academy Awards after being barred from entering the U.S. despite being granted a visa.
“I was banned by airport authorities from travel,” Khatib recalled.
The cinematographer, however, seems unfazed by the ban. “What matters is that we have won an Oscar and highlighted the suffering of Syrian civilians to the world,” he said.
Khatib said the idea of the documentary came from British director Orlando von Einsiedel two years ago.
“White Helmets volunteers are doing a great humanitarian mission in Syria and this should be taken to the world,” he said.
Khatib paid tribute to Turkey for its ongoing efforts to serve the Syrian cause.
“Our volunteers have been trained in Turkey and they have succeeded to pass on their experience to other civil defense volunteers inside Syria,” he said.
Stop bloodshed
Photography director Fadi Halabi described the Oscar win as a major step to highlight the Syrian cause to the world.
“The film sheds light on the Syrian conflict from a human perspective,” he said, going on to note that he will return to Syria in days to resume his work there.
Accepting the Oscar award, director Von Einsiedel read a statement from White Helmets founder Raed al-Saleh.
"We are so grateful that this film has highlighted our work to the world. Our organisation is guided by a verse from the Quran: To save one life is to save all of humanity," Saleh's statement said.
"We have saved more than 82,000 Syrian lives. I invite anyone here who hears me to work on the side of life to stop the bloodshed in Syria and around the world."
