This filmic dialogue between the renowned Syrian writer-in-exile Samar Yazbek and Lebanese filmmaker Rania Stephan asks questions regarding cinema and literature in the face of war, death, and violence. Shot between 2013 and 2019, the film illustrates the course of the revolution and civil war in Syria. As the war intensifies, one question becomes substantial: Can literature and cinema capture this tragedy? Weaving different visual and sonic elements, Rania Stephan explores this question through Samar Yazbek’s tool - words - to create a poetic and political testimony of our times. In Fields of Words: Conversations with Samar Yazbek won the Best Film Award at the 2022 Villa Medici Film Festival.

Rania Stephanis a Lebanese filmmaker and video artist whose works offer a personal perspective on political events. She intertwines raw images with a poetic edge, where filmed encounters are captured with compassion and humour. Her first feature film, The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni (2011) received various international awards.