In 2015, in Damascus, the Basateen al-Razi district and its orchards were razed to the ground as punishment for the population's uprising against the regime. Having lost everything, two former residents recall their neighborhood.
The Orchards
A film by
“Through their moving testimonies and the innovative use of 3D animations [...] Chapon offers a unique subversion of the propaganda images”
“Through their moving testimonies and the innovative use of 3D animations [...] Chapon offers a unique subversion of the propaganda images”
Antoine Chapon
Biography
Antoine Chapon (b. 1990, France) is a filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist. His work creates hybrid forms using cinema, CGI animation and archives. His first short film “My Own Landscapes” premiered in Visions du Reel where it won the Best Short Film Award. It was then selected in more than 40 festivals, such as Sundance, Telluride, Palm Springs, Sarajevo and Premiers Plans. His work has been showcased at ZKM|Karlsruhe, Centre Pompidou, the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale and the Singapore Art Museum. He is a Berlinale Talents alumnus and he is currently writing his first feature documentary.
Filmography
- Al Basateen, 2025, 24 min – documentary
- My Own Landscapes, 2020, 18 min – documentary
