For decades, Syrian television dramas have been a staple of Ramadan evenings across the Arab world, with families gathering after breaking their fast to watch eagerly awaited series. However, following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Syria's TV industry is navigating a new landscape, seeking to redefine itself after 14 years of civil war.
During the Assad years, when political expression was tightly controlled, television became a crucial platform for freedom of expression and employment for artists, according to Christa Salamandra, a professor of anthropology at Lehman College. The 2011 uprising and subsequent crackdown fractured the industry, with many creatives going into exile or staying but working in a divided environment.
Since Assad's fall, actors and directors previously divided along political lines are collaborating again. Series about once-taboo topics, such as torture in Assad's prisons, are now being filmed inside Syria. One such production is 'Al-Souriyoun al-Aada' ('The Syrian Enemies'), based on a novel banned under Assad for its focus on dark historical events, including the 1982 Hama massacre.
The series, shot in Aleppo, brings together exiled opposition figures like Yara Sabri and actors who remained in Syria. Director Allaith Hajjo, who never left the country, said that under the old regime they had to work around censors, but now they face new challenges with authorities inexperienced in handling artistic productions. Despite some problems with censors, Hajjo hopes the transition period will not affect the quality of output.
