A documentary film that teeters between fiction and non-fiction, Above the Sky of Damascus follows a filmmaker who seeks to weave his own story within the labyrinths of old Damascus to capture the echoes of everyday life from behind its walls. This internal journey is gradually eclipsed by images from outside, icons that crowd the city. Through these images we are introduced to the experience of an exiled Syrian writer, and the poignant testimony of Riyad al-Turk, one of Syria’s most famous political prisoners on a visit to Canada after 18 years in prison. He breaks his society’s silence against despotism and tyranny.

Fuad Nirabiye Born in Canada in 1976 with to Syrian parents, Fuad Nirabie traveled extensively between Canada and Syria throughout his childhood. He received a Masters degree in Film Studies at Concordia University, has taught courses on Middle-Eastern cinema at the university and published articles and essays on the subject. He worked with a number of directors and made his first feature experimental fiction, The Kibbeh (2001). Above the Sky of Damascus (2004) is his second film. He is currently in the post-production of his second experimental feature, tentatively titled Meridian.

Edgar K. Jinbachian was born in Lebanon in 1963 to an Armenian father and an Arab mother. He started his career as video operator and then assistant cameraman. Between the years 1984 and 1993, he worked as editor and cinematographer, and at a later stage, directed and produced documentaries for television in different parts of the Middle East. In 1998 he immigrated to Canada and attended the Film Production program at Concordia University where he made several short films and graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. He has collaborated with Fuad Nirabie on his first feature film, The Kibbeh, and Over the Sky of Damascus.