Hala Alabdallah Yakoub has been the pivotal element that has held together some of the most important film-makers from the Arab world. She has assisted, co-directed, authored and produced several of the first independent or co-produced films from Syria, by Mohammad Malas, Usama Mohammad and Omar Amiralay. This triumvirate is often written about, their films often appear at Syrian film events, and in most academic discussions on Syrian film-making history theirs are the defining films when it comes to discussing dissident film-making under the Ba'ath Party. They knew each other, filmed one another, and collaborated on projects both in Syria and in exile. While their work is of huge importance for the historiography of Syrian cinema, both in fiction and in documentary films, it is equally important to look in more detail at the woman who inspired them, spurred them on and supported them in various roles behind the scenes. Feature-length fiction films by women are non-existent in Syria, and this pioneering woman of Syrian documentary only made her own first film in 2006, in exile. It is, perhaps surprisingly, mostly in documentary (and animation and other experimental genres) that women have been able to create a platform for themselves in Syrian cinema. This chapter looks at the artistic and specifically the poetic representation of a difficult, traumatic reality in Syria. Hala Alabdallah Yakoub's small filmography shows that negotiations with dissidence and political repression take shape on many different levels, including an experimental and subjective approach to her subjects and a strong belief in the power of art to deal with pain, fear and oppression.

Hala Alabdallah Yakoub was born in Hama in 1956. She studied agricultural engineering in Damascus, and was a fervent member of the local cine club. This is where she realised the power of cinema as she watched Malas’ first films. She married artist Youssef Abdelké and became part of one of the many leftist organisations in Damascus. They were imprisoned for their activities, alongside some of her best friends. When they left prison fourteen months later, they decided to move to Beirut, later moving on to Paris, where they settled and continue to live.