Private Project

Panic Attack

Racing images and visual elements distort reality and embody the surreal, taking the viewer into a visceral manifestation of a Panic Attack, through a deformed chronological trip of its disturbing stages. With an abstract plot and minimal dialogue, the symbolic struggle between the victim and the captor emerges, demonstrating a first-hand mental experience of a Syrian-regime detainee.

The film questions the paradigm of modern humanity and its most basic of values; drawing criticism from the violence experienced within the detention center on the entirety of the human civilization and its nature.

Panic Attack, an urgent short experimental film, documents an element of the filmmaker’s existential crisis created by his incarceration, within one of the infamous Syrian-regime secret service detention centers for practicing basic forms of freedom of expression; denouncing the regime.

  • khaled alwarea
    Director
  • khaled alwarea
    Writer
  • khaled alwarea
    Producer
  • L-YAS
    Sound Design
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    نوبة هلع
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country of Filming:
    Lebanon
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 67th Montecatini International Short Film Festival,
    Tuscany
    Italy
    October 8, 2016
    European/ Italian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 7th annual Oaxaca FilmFest
    Oaxaca
    Mexico
    October 12, 2016
    Mexican Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 20th Annual Arab Film Festival
    LA
    United States
    October 12, 2016
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Bucharest ShortCut Cinefest
    Bucharest
    Romania
    September 8, 2016
    Romanian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Experimental Forum
    LA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Awareness Film Festival
    LA
    United States
    Merit Award
  • NEW FILM FEST
    LA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Respect Belfast Human Rights Film Festival
    Belfast
    Ireland
    North Ireland Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Pages Films Manifest
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    February 9, 2017
    Turkish Premiere
  • Autumn Sonata, Haven for artist Arts Festival
    Alleh
    Lebanon
  • Kinosmena Festival

    Russian Federation
    Official Selection
  • International Short Film Festival Music & Fashion Parachute Light Zéro IV Edition
    paris
    France
    June 1, 2017
    French Premier
    Official Selection
  • Ayam Beirut Al Cinema'iya Beirut Cinema Days
    Beirut
    Lebanon
    Arab Primier
    Official Selection
  • Kulturhuset
    Stockholm
    Sweden
  • AccessCode Film Festival

    India
    Official Selection
  • Film Egypt Festival
    Cairo
    Egypt
    Official Selection
  • SCANDINAVIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
    Helsinki
    Finland
    Official Selection
  • GEOFILMFESTIVAL and EXPOCINEMA
    Cittadella
    Italy
    Official Selection
Director Biography - khaled alwarea

Khaled ِAlwarea is a Syrian Architect and multidisciplinary artist based in France, his work takes multiple forms including installation design, visual art, photography, sculpture, film-making, architecture, and interior design.

He worked as a professional photographer and participated in several collaborations and exhibitions globally. He produced, filmed, edited several short films including his latest “Panic Attack” where it has been screened in multiple film festivals around the world.

In 2014 Khaled founded UV LAB design studio where he realized several projects in Installation art, architecture, interior design and set design in the middle east and Europe. In addition, Khaled was involved in the refugee crisis response by designing and building schools where none existed in tented settlements to foster education for children and mitigate child labor across Lebanon.

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