Khalaf was unable to return to Syria for years after being placed on Assad’s wanted list for directing The Translator, a political thriller exploring the early days of the Syrian uprising and decades of repression.
After 12 years in exile, acclaimed Franco-Syrian filmmaker Anas Khalaf returns to his homeland Syria through “Departures”, a deeply personal photo exhibition that opened on Monday at Msheireb Museums in Doha.
“Departures”, on view at Bin Jelmood House in Msheireb Museums, presents 74 poignant photographs capturing Anas Khalaf’s emotional return to Damascus in December 2024, just two weeks after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
This marked his first return to Syria since fleeing in 2012 during the height of the civil war, with the images capturing a landscape that is both familiar and irrevocably altered.
“This was not just about going home,” Khalaf said to Doha News. “It was about confronting what I had lost, most of all, my mother.”
The exhibition is dedicated to his late mother, who passed away before he returned from exile. Each of the 74 images is both a personal memento and a tribute to her 74 years of life.
Khalaf was unable to return to Syria for years after being placed on Assad’s wanted list for directing The Translator, a political thriller exploring the early days of the Syrian uprising and decades of repression.
“I wanted to go. I was on the wanted list of the regime for all these years for making The Translator, so I couldn’t go back. I wanted to see my family and what had happened to the country,” Khalaf told Doha News.
From a photo captioned “Welcome to Syria” under the iconic gate to Damascus, to a quiet shot of his mother’s bed labeled “her last sleep”, and a powerful image of a man embracing a silhouette with the note “painting that looks like my mother”, the collection resonates with loss, memory, and reconnection.
“First it was pure happiness and euphoria to see Syria free” Khalaf recalled while opening the exhibition. “But at the same time, I felt the deepest sorrow, sadness, and anguish. For years, my mother refused to leave. She said, “I will die in my country, in my home, in my bed.”
The exhibit was curated by multidisciplinary artist Bachir Mohamed, known for his installations centered on human suffering, including Echo of Lost Innocence, a tribute to children in Gaza. Mohamed described Departures as “not about regaining a homeland, but about losing its essence, which, for Anas, was his mother.”
“One of the visitors told me: ‘In every single one of these photos, it’s like a small injury or wound that’s opening again,” Mohamed shared with Doha News. “The main purpose of the exhibition was not to reflect politics, but rather the human side of suffering. Syria has a new face now, but for Anas, Syria is, and always will be, his mother.”
Speaking for Doha News, Abdulla Al Naama, General Manager of Msheireb Museums said that for Msheireb Museums, the exhibition aligns with their mission to present stories that transcend borders.
“This exhibition is a moving tribute to the human spirit, of how love and memory endure despite human conflicts,” said Al Naama. “Anas Khalaf’s work not only tells his own story but also echoes the shared experiences of those who long for home.’
Al Naama also emphasized that Departures is part of the museum’s broader commitment to storytelling: “It enriches our understanding of the world and opens new horizons for cultural dialogue and communication, and it reflects our ongoing work to present narratives with deep human impact.”
Khalaf, a co-founder of Synéastes Films and a celebrated voice in Syrian cinema, is known for films that confront the realities of war and displacement.
Now, through Departures, Khalaf extends that narrative in still frames. The photographs are raw, unfiltered, and intimate, each one a story of absence, resilience, and the link between personal memory and national identity.
“It’s about Damascus, her city, my city, everyone’s city,” Khalaf said. “It’s the oldest inhabited city in the world. These 74 photos are not just for my mother; they are for Syria.”
Departures is open to the public at Msheireb Museums until May 29, in partnership with the French Embassy.
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