Half Moon — Kinan Azmeh

A film by Frank Scheffer

📅 20 February 2026
🕒 15:30
📍 Filmhuis Den Haag

Half Moon is a moving documentary about the virtuoso clarinettist and composer Kinan Azmeh — a Damascus-born musician living in exile after the outbreak of the war in Syria.

The film follows Azmeh as he searches for meaning and artistic purpose while travelling the world for concerts, collaborating with leading international musicians (including Yo-Yo Ma), reconnecting with mentors, and developing a unique musical language rooted in improvisation and composition. Through intimate scenes of family life and powerful performances, Half Moon explores the role of art in times of crisis, displacement, and loss.

An elegant and melancholic portrait of music as a force for identity, community, and hope — and a reflection on how artists in exile reclaim their stories through sound.

🎤 Introductory talk

The screening will be preceded by an introductory talk with director Frank Scheffer and Kinan Azmeh.
The conversation will be moderated by Rosh Abdul Fatah from the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival.