Al Jazeera reporter shoots Syria film on iPhone

Footage from Syria shot entirely on an Al Jazeera correspondent's iPhone will be aired on Wednesday, following a day of opposition mourning for over 8,000 citizens killed since violence engulfed the Middle East country a year ago. The new Al Jazeera documentary, 'Syria: Songs of Defiance', captures protests witnessed by the reporter and ordinary Syrians taking up arms against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The reporter, who has not been named to protect those Syrians he spoke with, said: "Because carrying a camera would be risky, I took my cell phone with me as I moved around the country and captured images from the uprising that have so far remained unseen. "The footage, some of which you'll see in this film, tells the story of ordinary Syrians showing extraordinary courage...I followed them on protests, I saw them demonstrate and fight and die, and I even heard their songs of freedom. This is their story." Later he adds: "Despite all this violence and attacks every night there are demonstrations. People come out in defiance. It has become something that they have to do...Going out every night and singing and defying and insulting the regime and its thugs makes them feel like they have dignity, like they have freedom for just that moment of time. And people will say that they feel depressed if they don't go out. "There's a phenomenon. Late at night, people will yell 'allahu akbar'. Mostly it has become a statement of defiance. 'We're still here.' "And then you'll hear the gunfire in response ...as if to remind them that 'we're still here, too'." Opposition activists have declared 13 March a day of mourning across Syria after what they describe as a brutal massacre by government forces in Homs over the weekend, which included dozens of women and children stabbed and burned to death. Over 8,000 people have now been killed in the Syrian conflict, including many women and children, according to Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, president, United Nations General Assembly. Opposition activists estimate this figure to have now climbed to over 9,000. Syria: Songs of Defiance will be broadcast by Al Jazeera on 14 March at 22:30 GMT and repeated seven further times. The documentary will also be available to view on www.aljazeera.com.