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Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Emirates Palace, November 2nd, 2013


[…]

Yannick: Okay. Um, so my first question is— and I'll start the time so you don't have to stay longer — who did you call?

K: I called Syria—my family. My father my mother my brother—sisters. In Syria.

Yannick: Uh—and why?

K: Uh, it's like 10 days I do not call them, and there is a lot of problem there, in the village. They are staying in the village and—it's war. You know about Syria. So يعني I should call every day to see how they are. But unfortunately not all the time I can connect them. It's very difficult that telephone num—you know the internet, the electricity, there is no—in this area.

Yannick: And the phone is hard too? Or— why can you not call them?

K: Yeah—I-I cannot because there is no internet—no Etisalat—no connection. And sometimes, when they are fighting—you know about Syria?

Yannick: ye-yeah.

K: When they are fighting they cut the .. the whole .. I cannot contact them. Even by internet by telephone by mobile. So .. they are lucky that they—I found all of them. Sometimes I call—I cannot—يعني— I cannot talk to my mother, for example, or to my father. I can to talk to one person who suddenly got the .. from the .. area.

Yannick: And would you mind telling me a little bit about them? About your family?

K: Um, they are the two boys one girl, like uh, 11, 13, and 8 years. Uh, they are [living?] for nothing in the village. They are waiting what will happen —the situation, because there is no way to go out, there is no way to set—there are, just waiting uh .. the people to stop killing them.

Yannick: How did you end up apart?

K: s?

Yannick: Uh, why are you here and they're there?

K: Because I'm working, and they cannot come here. It's so difficult for a Syrian to come to the UAE, there is no Visa. And actually, I have work, and they was here .. before, like 3 years ago 4 years ago. All of us we was here. But when they went to Syria, uh to make work for my father, he went to Syria to make wo-uh, work for him, his own work, and suddenly start the .. war. So we cannot do anything. He cannot come back here, and he cannot start his work. Was here like 13 years. //Please don't cry (laughing) //

Yannick: //no it's okay (laugh) // I-I appreciate very much you sharing this. Uh .. how did you .. how did you choose your family? Uh /

K: / We are not choosing our family. It's a-It's a—when we're born, we find them.

Yannick: (laugh) I mean-I mean to call them.

K: To call them.

Yannick: As opposed to—so, sort of the other side of that question is, who didn't you call?

K: How-how I call them?

Yannick: Uh yeah, and who did you choose not to call?

K: Yeah, I am-am—choose my, my always my father. I call all the time, my father, he's the one who tell me about all the family. Usually.

Amani: [In Arabic, clarifying the vague question]

K: Could—they are—I mean, I have—this is my family, they will tell me for all the family, or my relatives for the—my aunty, my uncle .

Yannick: … uh, this is a bit of sort of moving to a new topic, but how does it feel when you miss something or someone? For you?

K: Very hard. Very difficult. Very painful. You miss them and you cannot go to them and you cannot bring them here. It's a feeling I cannot explain you by word. It's very hard for me.

Yannick: Can you—/

K: /even—even when you know that there is a lot of, uh, problem there, and you don't know if they're fine, if no, .. if the—somebody killed them. When you don't have contact with them, it's so difficult. We're just waiting them to contact us to know that they are fine.

Yannick: Uh, and then the last thing I'd like to ask, since I sort of didn't get around to it, is—can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Who are you?

K: I'm—I'm a fashion designer. I'm from Syria.

Yannick: mhm.

K: Um, I'm here for 10 years. Um, I have one sister here and one brother. They are working here, and living in Abu Dhabi. Um .. I'm very happy because I'm .. uh, we are in the safe place. We are in .. very safe country. Very peaceful. That's what we need, that's what really—I miss to feel it in my country. That's it. (laugh)

Yannick: Uh, and you are officially now free to go, whenever you like. I have my 5 minutes/

K:/ thank you very much. It's nice to see you. Nice to talk to you.

Yannick: Is there anything you'd like to add?

K: No.

Yannick: No?

K: that's all. //Thank you very much//

Yannick: //great//. Uh, the one thing I'd like to—/

K: /I can give you my uh .. my card, if you want to contact me for anything.

[…]

K: Thank you because you .. give me the chance to talk with my family also (laughing)

Yannick: That's-that's .. the main hope.

K: Thank you

Question 1 K.

Begin this path: Transcript: K.

1. Question 1: K.
2. Question 2: K.
3. Question 3: K.

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