journalist

Basel al-Shahada

باسل شحادة

Also known as: Basil al-Shahada • Basil Shahade

Journeys

Basel al-Shahada: He Came to Film the Revolution and Stayed Until the End

Basel al-Shahada chose Homs over Yale. That choice, and what it cost him, is the story of what the Syrian revolution asked of the people who loved Syria enough to show up.

Biography

Basel al-Shahada was a Syrian-American filmmaker and Yale Drama School student who left his studies in 2011 to document the revolution in Homs. He trained citizen journalists, shot footage that reached international audiences, and stayed when everyone told him to leave. He was killed by Syrian army shelling on May 28, 2012, in the besieged Karm al-Zeitoun neighbourhood of Homs. He was twenty-eight years old. His footage and the footage he taught others to capture became part of the visual record of Syria's siege.

Documentation Status

VerificationConfirmed

Journeys1

Key Facts

Born:1984-01-01

Place:Syria (raised in the United States)

Died:2012-05-28

Nationality:Syrian-American