Giving a rare glimpse of life amongst younger generation Syrians, Nidal el-Dibs tells the story of Marwan, a videographer/director, and his group of friends growing up in a poorer sector of Damascus. Marwan is part of a micro-society whose frustrated members are trapped in turmoil, facing a bleak future, dead-end relationships and tedious daily routines. Only the love between Marwan and Lina can break the gloom that enveloped him following the death of a close friend, Ahmad, a man he idolized. Ahmad’s sudden death unfurls an avalanche of emotions that have dogged him, questioning the values and beliefs that he has held so far. Under the supervision of two leading Syrian directors, Oussama Mohammed and Abdellatif Abdul-Hamid, Nidal al-Dibs elicits convincing performances and delivers a first feature that offers a political view of what his generation is facing in modern Syria.

Born in Syria in 1960, Nidal el-Dibs earned a degree in architecture from the University of Damascus, then went to on to earn another degree in film directing from the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) and graduated in 1994. His graduation film was titled Collage (1994). Upon returning to Damascus, he joined the National Film Organization and directed his first short fiction film, Ya Leyl Ya ‘Ayn (Oh Night, 1999). He worked as assistant director to several of his colleagues until he directed his first fiction feature, Tahta al-Saqf (Under the Ceiling, 2005). He has recently completed a documentary for UNICEF on child labor in Syria.