From Fear to Film: How Syria's Forbidden Regime Sites Became TV Drama Locations

The television series focusing on Syria's recent history is scheduled to air during Ramadan, a prime viewing period in the Arab world.

In Damascus, a film crew works at a former military airbase that was once strictly off-limits under Bashar al-Assad's regime. They are creating a TV series depicting the final months of the ousted leader's government through the perspective of a Syrian family.

Director Mohamad Abdul Aziz expressed his disbelief at filming in the Mazzeh base, a location previously used as a detention center by Assad's air force intelligence, notorious for its brutal practices.

"This place was once a symbol of military authority. Now we're producing a show about the collapse of that authority," he explained to AFP.

Following nearly 14 years of civil conflict and half a century of Assad family rule, Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia as Islamist-led forces approached Damascus, taking the city without resistance on December 8 last year.

The scene being filmed at Mazzeh base portrays the escape of someone close to Assad, and will be featured in "The King's Family," which is being shot in formerly high-security locations once feared by ordinary Syrians.

Set to premiere in February during Ramadan, the series will compete for viewers during this peak television season in the Arab world.

Since Assad's departure, dozens of actors, directors, and entertainment professionals who opposed his regime have returned to Syria, significantly revitalizing the local industry. Several other productions have also begun filming at former military and security installations.

"It creates an unusual sensation... The places from which Syria was once governed have been transformed into creative spaces," Abdul Aziz remarked.

In another part of Damascus, his production team now operates in offices at the former Palestine Branch military intelligence facility, where detainees previously endured interrogations so severe that some did not survive.

"The Palestine Branch was a cornerstone of the security apparatus – its mere mention instilled fear," Abdul Aziz said about the facility known for torture.

Outside among burned vehicles, the team uses explosions and special effects to recreate scenes depicting "the release of prisoners when the security services collapsed."

Thousands were freed when prisons opened during Assad's fall last year, with desperate families gathering at detention facilities searching for loved ones who had disappeared into the prison system, many of whom remain missing.

Assad's luxurious, heavily-guarded residence, which was invaded and pillaged after his escape to Russia, also features in the new series.

Abdul Aziz described filming an action sequence involving more than 150 people with gunfire in front of the residence in Damascus's upscale Malki district, noting, "This would have been impossible before."

The 35-year-old scriptwriter Maan Sakbani expressed cautious optimism that the era of complete censorship under Assad had ended.

While the new authorities' information ministry still reviews scripts, their feedback on "The King's Family" was minimal, he explained from a traditional Damascus house where the team discussed scene arrangement.

Sakbani acknowledged uncertainty about how long this relative creative freedom would continue and was waiting to see reactions to the Ramadan productions upon their release.

Several other series inspired by the Assad era are also scheduled for release during Ramadan, including "Enemy Syrians," which portrays citizens living under surveillance by security services.

Another production titled "Going Out to the Well," directed by Mohammed Lutfi and featuring prominent Syrian actors, depicts deadly prison riots at the infamous Saydnaya facility in 2008, which Amnesty International had previously called a "human slaughterhouse."

"The screenplay was written over two years ago, and we intended to film before Assad's downfall," Lutfi explained.

However, several actors feared repercussions from the former regime, and finding suitable filming locations in Syria was impossible at that time.

Now, they plan to shoot on the actual site. "The new authorities have supported the project and provided extensive logistical assistance for filming inside Saydnaya prison," Lutfi stated.

This will enable them "to accurately portray the prisoners' suffering and the regime's practices from within the actual location," he added.