Aleppo's Fall

What did really happen in Aleppo, and why did the opposition against Assad’s regime fail to gather?

In Aleppo’s Fall the Norwegian-Syrian director Nizam Najar returns to his hometown. Armed with his camera, he follows a group of civilians, who under the tabs of The Free Syrian Army take up arms to defend themselves against their own government. The tailor Haj Khaled, who begins with sewing flags for the peaceful demonstrations against the dictatorship, ends up as the leader of a militia consisting of young men with different motivations and agendas. In the fight against Assad and Putin on the one side, and IS on the other, he tries to keep the group together and maintain morale.

Aleppo’s fall is a unique film that documents the war in Syria on ground level, seen from the perspective of the rebels. The film premiered at the prestigious film festival IDFA, and has received very good reviews all around the world.

Nizam Najar grew up in Syria, Libya and Sudan, and moved with his family to Norway in 2002. He attained a degree in directing from Lillehammer University College and specialized in documentary film-making at Volda University College. He made Diary from the Revolution (2013) right after finishing his studies. Aleppo’s Fall had its world premiere at IDFA in November.