Documentary backdrop image for Background (2023)

Documentary backdrop image for Background (2023)

202364 minPGdocumentary

Background

202364 minPGdocumentary

A 64-minute conversation unfolds between a filmmaker and his father, separated by the war in Syria and decades of history.

Genres

Director

Khaled Abdulwahed

Synopsis

A 64-minute conversation unfolds between a filmmaker and his father, separated by the war in Syria and decades of history.

People

Khaled Abdulwaheddirector

Synopsis

A filmmaker engages in conversation with his father, a Syrian refugee now living in Germany. Separated by the ongoing war in Syria, the son reconstructs his father’s past as a student in Germany 70 years earlier. Through personal stories and memories, they connect their experiences across generations and borders. The documentary runs for 64 minutes and offers a historical perspective on displacement.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Jaafar Abdul Karim meets Syrian artists starting anew (2017)

Jaafar Abdul Karim meets Syrian artists starting anew

Six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, a fact discussed by a Syrian museum guide who now gives tours in Berlin.

Jaafar Abdul Karim meets Syrian artists starting anew

Back to Syria? (2025)

Back to Syria?

Mohammad 'Mo' Rabie returns to Syria after the civil war to search for his missing brother Ahmad and assess his future between Syria and Germany.

The war on my phone - Lifeline to Syria (1/2) (2018)

The war on my phone - Lifeline to Syria (1/2)

Refugees Amjad, Omar, Zena, and Shahinaz navigate life in Europe while connected to Syria.

The war on my phone - Lifeline to Syria (1/2)

Silence After The Storm: Return To My Homeland (Syria Documentary) (2022)

Silence After The Storm: Return To My Homeland (Syria Documentary)

700 families were forced to flee their homes in Syria due to ISIS attacks, prompting filmmaker Karam Ghosn to return and document the aftermath.

Silence After The Storm: Return To My Homeland (Syria Documentary)

Being with Refugees (2025)

Being with Refugees

Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan share their daily lives and struggles, as filmmakers document their experiences amid ongoing humanitarian challenges.

Being with Refugees

Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs! (2024)

Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs!

In war-torn Aleppo, a family navigates the challenges of survival under Bachar El-Assad's Army while reflecting on the impact of civil war on their children's lives.

Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs!

The war on my phone - Lifeline to Syria (2/2) (2018)

The war on my phone - Lifeline to Syria (2/2)

Refugees Amjad, Omar, Zena, and Shahinaz navigate life in Europe while staying connected to Syria.

The war on my phone - Lifeline to Syria (2/2)

Arabic Secret | Documentary | Full Movie (2026)

Arabic Secret | Documentary | Full Movie

A man traces his roots to the Middle East while seeking to connect with his estranged father, whom he has never met.

Arabic Secret | Documentary | Full Movie

Children Of Damascus Learning The Harsh Lessons Of War (2016)

Children Of Damascus Learning The Harsh Lessons Of War

8 million Syrians are displaced as children in Damascus navigate life amid violence and loss, facing trauma and uncertainty every day.

Children Of Damascus Learning The Harsh Lessons Of War

Explore Background

Where else to watch

Born in Syria (2016)

Born in Syria

2016•1h26m•★7.2TMDB

More than 5 million children have fled Syria since the start of the civil war, facing challenges of displacement and integration in foreign countries.

Our Memory Belongs to Us (2021)

Our Memory Belongs to Us

2021•1h33m•★8.0TMDB

Three Syrian activists reunite on a theatre stage in Paris nearly a decade after the Syrian revolution, reflecting on their personal journeys amid brutal footage.

Our Memory Belongs to Us

Film About a Father Who (2020)

Film About a Father Who

2020•1h14m•★6.0TMDB

Footage from 1984 to 2019 captures Lynne Sachs' relationship with her father, businessman Ira Sachs, and their family's shared history.

Film About a Father Who

Chasing the Dazzling Light (2023)

Chasing the Dazzling Light

A father in Syria provides direction and advice to his son, a filmmaker in Europe, through phone calls and video chats.

Chasing the Dazzling Light

Browse more like this

Back to Syria? (2025)

Back to Syria?

Mohammad 'Mo' Rabie returns to Syria after the civil war to search for his missing brother Ahmad and assess his future between Syria and Germany.

No digital watch option in your country

Being with Refugees (2025)

Being with Refugees

Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan share their daily lives and struggles, as filmmakers document their experiences amid ongoing humanitarian challenges.

Being with Refugees

No digital watch option in your country

Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs! (2024)

Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs!

In war-torn Aleppo, a family navigates the challenges of survival under Bachar El-Assad's Army while reflecting on the impact of civil war on their children's lives.

Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs!

No digital watch option in your country

Watani: My Homeland (2016)

Watani: My Homeland

2016•40m•★6.6TMDB

Over three years, a mother and her children flee war-torn Aleppo, facing numerous challenges as they seek safety in a small town in Germany.

Watani: My Homeland

Reunited (2020)

Reunited

2020•1h17m•★8.0TMDB

Two doctors flee the Syrian civil war in 2015, leaving their children behind in Turkey as they seek safety in Canada and Denmark.

Stories of Passers Through (2017)

Stories of Passers Through

2017•1h5m•★5.0TMDB

Thirty years of exile from Baghdad shape Ameer Kazmi's visual diary, reflecting on alienation and the search for belonging amid conflict.

Stories of Passers Through

My Paradise (2016)

My Paradise

A filmmaker returns to his hometown in Syria after 25 years to find out what happened to his old classmates following the war.

Through Our Eyes (2018)

Through Our Eyes

Survivors of the Bosnian War and the Syrian conflict share their experiences, revealing the ongoing challenges faced by those displaced by violence.

Through Our Eyes

Browse more by Khaled Abdulwahed

View all films →

Purple Sea (2021)

Purple Sea

2021

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →