Little Syria

Madalina Rosca & Reem Karssli / Portugal, Romania & Germany / 2025 / World Premiere / 90 min

In December 2024, the Syrian regime fell unexpectedly and the dethroned President Bashar al-Assad fled the country in haste. His fall brought an end to a reign of terror that showed its true colors with brutal attacks on the civilian population in the years following the 2011 revolution. But it did not bring an end to the suffering that the survivors and those left behind still carry with them. 

In ‘Little Syria’ we meet a small group of Syrian refugees who have found a new home in Berlin, but who continue to fight for justice for the victims of the Assad regime while fighting their own internal war. Co-director Reem Karssli is one of them, and together with Mohammed and Yasser, she tries to understand what remains of the Syrian revolution. 

But then, to everyone’s surprise, Assad falls and new questions suddenly arise. What will Syria look like in the future? And what should those left behind do with the country’s dark past?

Familiarise yourself with human rights at CPH:DOX
According to a new survey from the Danish Institute for Human Rights, Danes largely support human rights and believe they are important – but more than half, 53 percent, cannot name a single human right. At the premiere screenings of all films nominated for the Human Rights Award, you will receive the 30 articles of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, printed by Human Rights Watch. And below you can see exactly which articles this film addresses.

Article 17
Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 27
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.