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THE OATH OF CYRIAC

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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).