Engaging new documentary explores everyday life in Syria

Jean Marie Offenbacher’s debut film “Tea on the Axis of Evil” will have its American
premiere at the Sonoma International Film Festival on Sunday, April 5, at 9:30 a.m. The documentary features university students, government officials, and others living in Syria, which in 2004 President George W. Bush announced was part of his much-maligned “Axis of Evil.” Offenbacher felt compelled to prove the President wrong.
“I was very upset by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and troubled by the way the media was describing all of the Middle East in such dark terms – missing an opportunity to present people in the region as people caught up in a bad political situation,” said Offenbacher, who lives in New York City. “Instead of being upset I decided to do something about it. So I bought a new camera and all the equipment I would need and headed off to Syria.”
Offenbacher had no friends in Syria but was able to connect through the Internet beforehand with some college students who were willing to assist her in making a film. They helped her find an apartment in Damascus, and in late 2004, she arrived in Syria, to be greeted at the airport gate by three young people. They would proceed to show her around the city and introduce her to many of the people she would feature in her film.
“I was also greeted by a security guard with a machine gun, who was a bit suspicious of my three full carts of luggage, which included a lot of my equipment,” Offenbacher recalled. “I was worried that my project was about to end even before it started, so I explained to him how tired I was after such a long flight and how I really needed to sleep. He was most understanding and allowed me to enter the country without further scrutiny.”
Offenbacher was concerned about voting in the 2004 presidential election, so one of the first things she did was to pay a visit to the American Embassy. She remembers that an embassy staffer actually laughed at her when Offenbacher told him she was there to make a film about life in Syria. He thought no one would speak with her, but he was wrong. Before long people were inviting her into their homes and she was interviewing government officials.
“Syria’s wonderful people are represented by my film’s sexy and funny characters who discuss dating, marriage, education, art, politics, and religion,” said the filmmaker, who studied film at NYU and Columbia University. “People are kind and educated, and of many different religions and sects that co-exist harmoniously. They love to eat good food, dance to all kinds of music, and make new friends.”
Offenbacher shot some 80 hours worth of film during 3 stints in Syria in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The optimistic attitudes of her subjects over that time period faded as Islamic extremists started to take hold of a country she feels is isolated by anti-Arab rhetoric, primarily from the U.S. She said that during her last trip to Syria, an unscrupulous general she had insulted by calling him out on his deceptive statements stymied her efforts to film additional footage.
“Tea on the Axis of Evil” was finished last year and has since been shown at film festivals in Amsterdam and Northern Ireland. Offenbacher will travel with and screen her film in Egypt and Iran. She is nearing a distribution deal with a company interested in getting her film released overseas. A friend in Syria is working to get the film shown there, but Offenbacher doubts she will be able to return to the increasingly troubled country.
“The film is honest and the response from most audience members is that they walked away feeling they’ve learned something new about a country and its people that has been widely misunderstood,” said Offenbacher. “I’m thrilled to have ‘Tea on the Axis of Evil’ as part on the Sonoma International Film Festival and to be able to spend time in this great part of the country.”
For more information about the Sonoma International Film Festival, visit sonomafilmfest.org.