Belki Sibe is a volunteer soldier's film. It unfolds an 18 month journey through war and revolution, in Rojava Kurdistan NE Syria, during the advance and victory of the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS, including the story of the International Freedom Battalion, where the director was primarily deployed. It depicts the military life and battles on the front-lines, as well as the civil life at the rear and the social transformation attempted by the Autonomous Administration. In both fields, the role of women's liberation and empowerment is prominent. The film follows a timeline from July 2016 (battle of Manbij) until the end of 2017 (liberation of Raqqa and demise of the Islamic Caliphate), but also includes flash forward updates from late 2021, at the end of each chapter. In Belkî Sibê there is no main character that drives the narrative. Instead, there is a plurality of voices from a multitude of places, that merge to form a synthesis of collective narrative, from the points of view of internationalists as well as locals.
Directed by: Alexis Daloumis
About The Director
Alexis Daloumis is a filmmaker and journalist of British and Greek citizenship, born in London but raised and based in Athens. Primarily orientated towards social movements, environmental issues, and conflict zones.
He has also worked as a gardener, a Greek language tutor, an actor, a waiter, and a soldier. He studied film, video, photography, and new media at Westminster University and Theatre Studies at the University of Athens.
𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐤î 𝐒𝐢𝐛ê is not a commercial film. It didn't have a production company behind it, neither sponsors, or institutional funding of any sort. It was made on a very small budget, acquired exclusively via crowdfunding. It's not for sale, it won't get commercial cinema distribution it won't be sold to any platform. It's not meant to be screened with a mandatory fixed price ticket and can only receive donations. Or as we call it in Greek, voluntary contributions.