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THE OATH OF CYRIAC

As the war rages around them, a small group of archaeologists, museum curators and attendants struggle to preserve the monumental collections of antiquities at the Aleppo National Museum during the Syrian conflict. For years, these women and men will bid farewell to their families every morning before heading to the museum under a hail of shells, facing sniper fire, often sleeping on the ground of the museum for several days in an attempt to accomplish their mission.
Without electricity, without water, without means, they empty the showcases, pack antiques with pieces of clothing, dismantle false ceilings to protect them in makeshift boxes, build concrete walls to hide ancient statues from looters...
But in 2015, the Museum has become a front line and the risk of seeing these treasures disappearing is greater every day : how to evacuate 50,000 artifacts in a besieged city? In this race against time, nothing is guaranteed, nothing is certain, the only certainty lies in one fact: if the museum's collections are lost, a whole part of human history will disappear with them.

"THE OATH OF CYRIAC" is a feature docudrama based on a breathtaking true story that will challenge your vision of archaeologists.

  • Olivier BOURGEOIS
    Director
    Here To Stay
  • Yasmine MAHMOUD
    Writer
  • Olivier BOURGEOIS
    Writer
    Here To Stay
  • Olivier BOURGEOIS
    Producer
    Here To Stay
  • Franck MEYER
    Producer
  • Houmam SAAD
    Producer
  • Dr. Maamoun ABDULKARIM
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Desbina BASLAN
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Dr. Ahmad DEEB
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Nawrouz TOBAL HAMO
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Rahaf HAMWI
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Khaled Al MASRI
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Mohamad BASHIR SHABANI
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Ahmad OTHMAN
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Tarek ABU ALI
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Nazir AWAD
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Mamoud HAMOUD
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Dima NACIF
    Key Cast
  • Laurent WOLF
    Music
  • Franck MEYER
    Editor
  • Lluis A.KINDER
    Associate Producers
  • Laurent WOLF
    Associate Producers
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 12 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 2, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    80,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Andorra
  • Country of Filming:
    Syrian Arab Republic
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • FICAB XXI Edition
    Irun
    Spain
    November 15, 2021
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival XIX Edition
    Eugene, Oregon
    United States
    May 14, 2022
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Firenze Archeofilm 2022
    Florence
    Italy
    March 4, 2022
    Italian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Firenze ArcheoFilm 2022
    Florence, Toscany
    Italy
    March 6, 2022
    Firenze Archeofilm AWARD
  • Firenze ArcheoFilm 2022
    Florence, Toscany
    Italy
    March 6, 2022
    University of Florence AWARD
  • The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival XIX Edition
    Eugene, Oregon
    United States
    May 18, 2022
    North American Premiere
    AWARDS : Honorable Mention in Best Film Competition / Honorable Mention for Public Education Value / Honorable Mention for Script / Honorable Mention for Music / Honorable Mention for Inspiration / Special Mention by Jury: Best film about wartime protection of cultural heritage
  • Foça Film Days V Edition
    Foça, İzmir
    Turkey
    October 9, 2022
    Turkey Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Aquileia Film Festival XIII Edition
    Aquileia
    Italy
    July 29, 2022
    Official Selection
  • History Film Festival VI Edition
    Rijeka
    Croatia
    September 13, 2022
    Croatian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • RAM film festival XXXIII Edition
    Rovereto, Trento
    Italy
    September 28, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Aquileia Film Festival XIII Edition -AFF
    Aqulieia
    Italy
    July 29, 2022
    Special Mention
  • Varese Archeofilm V Edition
    Varese
    Italy
    September 1, 2022
    First Prize Of The City Of Varese
  • El Ojo cojo International film festival X Edition
    Madrid
    Spain
    November 4, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Festival della Comunicazione e del Cinema Archeologico XII Edition
    Licodia Eubea (CT)
    Italy
    October 12, 2022
    Official Selection
  • FriCine - Festival Internacional de Cinema Socioambiental X Edtion
    Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro
    Brazil
    October 12, 2022
    Latin American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • History Film Festival VI Edition
    Rijeka
    Croatia
    September 17, 2022
    Croatian Premiere
    Audience AWARD & Special Mention From The Jury
  • Arkhaios Film Festival X Edition
    Pittsburgh, South Carolina
    United States
    October 16, 2022
    AWARDS : Grand Prize of the Arkhaios Film Festival & Best Cultural Heritage Film
  • Cardiff International Film Festival VIII Edition
    Cardiff, Wales
    United Kingdom
    October 30, 2022
    United Kingdom Premiere
    Honorable Mention
  • Universal Film Festival XIII Edition
    Frankfurt
    Germany
    November 10, 2022
    German Premiere
    Official Selection / Nominated for Best Documentary
Distribution Information
  • CINEMOZ GROUP
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Olivier BOURGEOIS

Olivier started his career as a commercial TV producer for major companies. In 2004 his passion for culture and the environment led him to produce, direct and write the first opus of the documentary trilogy "HERITAGE". The feature documentary "HERE TO STAY" (Original title « Nous Resterons sur Terre ») which takes an uncompromising look at the state of the Earth, was co-produced with the French film studio GAUMONT FILM COMPANY. Starring Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Mikhail Gorbachev and Wangari Maathai, environmentalist James Lovelock and Philosopher Edgar Morin, the film has been released in 25 countries with support from UNESCO and UNEP. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149600/
In 2015, Olivier has created and developed an audio-visual archive bringing together an unprecedented number of testimonies from archaeologists, museum curators and guards who have contributed significantly to the protection and rescue of Syrian Heritage since the start of the armed conflict in 2011. During his many stays in Syria, he wrote, directed and produced the second film of the "HERITAGE" trilogy. Based on the incredible true story of ordinary people saving the antique collections of the Aleppo Museum during the war, the docudrama "THE OATH OF CYRIAC" was completed in september 2021

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Director Statement

Life is made up of meetings, some of which profoundly change you. Everyone of us should have the chance to experience an encounter with Maamoun, Desbina, Mohamad, Rahaf, Nawrouz and the others… These Syrian archaeologists, museum curators and students refused to be contaminated by the surrounding chaos and acted to protect our common heritage.
They do not see themselves as heroes, they have their weaknesses, their failures, their wounds too, but show relentless courage and unwavering dedication to cultural heritage. Their resolutely apolitical fight is an act of resistance which symbolizes the refusal to see disappear before our eyes what has linked men to each other for millennia.

After several years of building mutual trust, they overcame their emotions to testify in the film. Far from long and superficial speeches, their testimonies, facing the camera, are powerful and will deeply move your hearts. Although they are not professional actors, they also agreed to play their own character in the reenactment scenes, sometimes tears came up, laughs too, ... Unforgettable!

Dr Maamoun Abdulkarim (Director General of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums from 2012 till 2017 and one of the main characters of the film) was awarded with the Cultural Heritage Rescue Prize (2014-Venice, Italy) for his exceptionnal action to preserve the incredibly rich heritage of Syria during the war. He now works as an expert for UNESCO, helping many countries facing endangered heritage issues. Dedicating his life to cultural heritage, he is always very enthusiastic about sharing his passion with a wider audience. (For more informations Cf News & Reviews / Files & Attachments).