The Artist
Hussain Badran is a painter, musician, teacher, and collaborator. In Athens, his work became part of a collective of displaced musicians.
Short Documentary 13:45 min
AMALI
A short documentary about Syrian artist Hussain Badran, carrying music and paintings across exile, asylum, and hope.
Winner, Best Documentary Short at the San Francisco Arthouse Short Festival.
Watch AMALI
The full 13 minute documentary is available here with a privacy-conscious YouTube embed.
About the Film
AMALI follows Syrian artist and musician Hussain Badran during his asylum process in Athens. The film stays close to art, music, teaching, and daily survival instead of reducing displacement to spectacle.
Bay Area musicians traveled to Athens to meet Hussain and other displaced artists. The documentary became both a film portrait and a record of cross-cultural musical collaboration.
- Released
- 2019
- Runtime
- 13:45
- Languages
- Arabic, English
- Award
- Best Documentary Short
Hussain's Story
"I will teach them freedom."
The Crossing
Born in Ras al-Ain near Syria's northern border, he left by boat before dawn and later spent more than a year in Athens.
The Language of Freedom
With no diploma available from Syria and no embassy in Greece to issue one, Hussain taught the language he was still learning.
My Hopes
AMALI means my hopes in Arabic. Today, Hussain lives in Germany as an independent artist with work shown across Europe and the Arab world.
Soundtrack
Play the music from and around AMALI, with bilingual lyrics, sheet music, and track notes kept beside the listening experience.
AMALI
Hussain Badran
A central musical theme from the documentary, written from Hussain Badran's poetry and voice.
D minor4/4120 BPM
0:005:10
Love Returning
Ali Al Harki
A companion piece from the Lyrics of Sada music archive, pairing an Arabic introduction with an English song.
C major4/4110 BPM
0:005:03
Press and Screenings
A practical packet for programmers, educators, journalists, and collaborators who need the film facts before they share or screen AMALI.
Short Synopsis
AMALI follows Syrian artist Hussain Badran in Athens as painting, music, teaching, and asylum shape a story of displacement and hope.
Program Note
The film connects Hussain's life and art with original music created through Syrian and San Francisco Bay Area collaboration, preserving the process as part of the documentary.
