Experiencing Interruptions?

Shatila Stories

In the heart of Beirut lies one of the world's oldest Palestinian camps, Shatila, which is infamous for the brutal 1982 massacre, extreme poverty, routine violence, sexual exploitation and gang wars over drug territory. Since the Syrian War an additional 1.5 million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon pushing an already overcrowded camp to new extremes. Amidst the chaos of Shatila, a group of lively children work together to make their own film and process the trauma of war.

  • Shyam L. Jones
    Director
  • Aphra Evans
    Associate Producer
  • Hanno Dall
    Camera
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    refugee, political, social
  • Runtime:
    52 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Austria
  • Country of Filming:
    Lebanon
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Shyam L. Jones

Personal Details

Date of birth: 13.5.1991 in Frankfurt a.d. Main
British/Austrian Citizenship

Education

2014 - 2017
MA Neuroscience & Philosophy
Humboldt Universität, Mind & Brain program
Berlin, Germany

2010-2013
Bsc Psychology graduation with First Honors
Deans List Commendation Achievement
UCL, London, UK

2005- June 2009
High School Graduation (Matura), Distinction with 1.2 average
BRG Draschestraße, Vienna Bilingual Schooling
Vienna Austria

2003 -2005
ISPS International School,
Dharamsala, India

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I’m a British/Austrian filmmaker, passionate about documentary film. I worked my first ‘job’ as assistant to my mother when I was 11 years old. As a pre-teen I created a dozen of animated shorts. Over the course of several internships I gained valuable experience on film sets and developed skills in research, the conception and planning of video narratives, the organisation of shoots, cinematography and post production, especially video editing. This led me to my current job at the ORF as a video editor for the news program “Wien Heute”.

However, I have learned the most by directing my own films. Over the last five years I have directed thirteen documentaries ranging from 3 to 52 minutes. I learned how to find, research and develop documentary narratives, organize shoots, conduct interviews, how to present and narrate and work with budget constraints. I directed collaborators and hired professionals, such as videographers, animators, translators and fixers. In learning how to use the camera, editing all of my films, and experimenting with different formats I developed my personal style of storytelling.

My experiences with producing, directing and editing a range of films have strengthened my resolve, and made me confident that this is what I can do best.