简介：OmarAmiralay是叙利亚最著名的纪录片导演，从70年代就开始拍摄纪录片，大多涉及到阿拉伯世界特殊而敏感的政治、宗教和民俗文化，作品多次被禁，本人也曾流亡海外多年。　　AFloodinBaathCountry　　[TUFANFIBALADEL-BA'TH]　　DirectedbyOmarAmiralay　　Syria/France,2003　　Color.46min.ArabicwithEnglishsubtitles.　　In1970,OmarAmiralaymadeashortdocumentary,Film-EssayontheEuphratesDam,inpraiseoftherulingBaathparty'sprojecttoconstructanimpressivesystemofdams.Today,afterfatalconstructionflawshavebeendiscovered,hiscontroversialnewfilm,AFloodinBaathCountry,exploresthemetaphoricalimplicationsofsuchweakness.Withoutcommentaryorcriticism,Amiralay'sfilmexposesBaathpartypropagandaanditsdebilitatingeffectsonthepeopleofal-Mashivillage,400kilometersnortheastofDamascus.Thecameramovesslowlyfromstudentstoteacherstogovernmentofficials,witheveryonerecitingtheexactsamepraisesforthepresidentandslogansglorifyingtheBaathparty.Thefilmistheharshestindictmentyetoftheregime,portrayingthedevastatingeffectsof35yearsofrigidBaathpartyruleonSyriansociety.　　"Thereisnothingenigmatic,bycontrast,aboutOmarAmiralay'sdocumentaries.They'reasoutspokenascanbe--andyetthey,too,conveytheirargumentthroughunforgettablystrongimages."–StuartKlawans,TheNation　　Thefilmmaker'sfirstfilmisashortfilmtothegloryoftheEuphratesdam,theprideoftherulingBaathparty."Iregretthisyouthfulerror".33yearslater,heunveilstheindoctrinationatworkinthevillageclassroom.　　Thereisnothingenigmatic,bycontrast,aboutOmarAmiralay'sdocumentaries.They'reasoutspokenascanbe--andyetthey,too,conveytheirargumentthroughunforgettablystrongimages.AmongthemostforcefulofhisfilmsisAFloodinBaathCountry,whichhastheaddedbenefitofencapsulatingAmiralay'scareerforyou.In1970,freshoutoffilmschoolandfiredwithenthusiasmfortheBaathregime,hemadeashorttitledFilm-EssayontheEuphratesDam.AtthebeginningofAFloodinBaathCountry,youseefootagefromthisearlywork:briefviewsofdamconstruction,shotinexpertimitationofAmiralay'sbelovedDzigaVertov.Meanwhile,onthesoundtrack,thepresent-dayAmiralayspeaksofhisdistressathavingmadesuchafilm.Constructionwasshoddy;damshavefatallycollapsed.AsfortheartificialLakeAssad,beneathwhosewatersstandinundatedvillages,itnowseemstoAmiralaytobetheperfectsymboloftheBaathregime,whichseekstosubmergealllifeinSyria.…