Private Project

GHOSTLAND: A Journey Through Syria

Syria… Such a culturally rich country, with such incredibly resilient people, and yet the ghosts of its tragic recent history are all around, some still very much alive…

Over a decade after the release of his eye-opening North Korea documentary, director Matt Dworzanczyk’s GHOSTLAND invites you to visit the the war-torn Arab state, not to dwell on the past nor make light of the hardship – but to experience today’s Syria from a perspective never shown in the news. That is – through the eyes of post-war Syria’s first and only skaters, comedians, photographers, guides, artists and filmmakers, all striving to turn their collective traumas into beauty, peace and unity for their country.

  • Matt Dworzanczyk
    Director & Producer
    Artist Police (2020), Love Market (2015), DPRK: The Land Of Whispers (2012)
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Adventure, Travel
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 45 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 20, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Syrian Arab Republic
  • Language:
    Arabic, English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Etherium Sky Films
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography

Born in then-communist Poland, educated in the heart of cinema industry in the USA, with his home being Vietnam, his recent base in Berlin and with work experience from all around the world - Matt is a truly international director with some two hundred film, TV and video projects behind his belt.

Matt’s roots, heart & key focus have always been in directing narrative film – but he is also an experienced producer, screenwriter, editor & shooter – well versed in documentary, commercial work and even small-scale journalism.

“Marlin“, Matt’s first film – a short, dark fairy tale went on to win the “Excellence in Filmmaking” award at Canada Int’l Film Festival.

His eye-opening North Korea documentary, “DPRK: The Land of Whispers” has been seen by some 3 million people online, winning a number of awards including “Best Feature Film” at the Third World Indie Film Festival and attracting plenty of international controversy, even resulting in death threats from North Korea.

Matt’s production of “Love Market” continued to ruffle feathers as he managed to reach deeper than even mainstream int’l media, uncovering the conspiracy behind Vietnam’s secretive Love Market and discovering a fascinating even if often harrowing world behind the legends.

His experimental endeavor, “Artist Pollice“, emphasizes the value of freedom by combining performance art and cinema into a based-on-facts portrayal of Vietnam’s most bizarre and controversial censorship police officer turned artist extraordinaire. Following its release, the film was adapted into a live event.

Matt was a participant in the project Market of Hanoi’s Int’l Film Festival (ran in cooperation with Berlinale) where he developed his feature screenplay for “Baby Blue Eyes“, a fantasy drama about an infertile couple raising a plastic baby doll, which was later shortlisted for participation in both Sundance Labs and the Screenwriting Market at Berlinale. His other narrative screenplays include "Etherium V", a psychedelic, heart-wrenching thriller set in 90s Europe's seedy underground, and "Things Which Do Not Belong", a lighthearted comedy about a quirky artist's discovery of an authentic Soviet-era submarine... in his swimming pool.

Some of the recurring themes in Matt’s works include childhoods, dreams, travel, social isolation, drugs and existentialism.

When not working – Matt likes to disappear among nature – ideally on his dear motorbike, in some faraway corner of the planet.

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