He was exiled to Lebanon in 2014, and moved to Turkey in 2015, where he used his skills in Capoeira dance to give lessons in refugee camps. He was noticed in 2015 for his stop-motion short film Fade to Black, which depicts the Daesh invasion in Syria and its consequences for the residents of Raqqa. Amer Albarzawi’s work is marked by a deep reflection on the rights of Man. In September 2015 he won the jury’s special prize at the Toronto Urban Film Festival.

Albarzawi took part in several residencies in 2017, at the Abbaye Royale de Saint-Jean-d’Angély, the Prieuré de la Charité-sur-Loire – Cité du Mot, the Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans, the Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud and the Maison Maria Casarès. During these residencies, he was able to work on a short film about the journey of a migrant saved from drowning, who developed a phobia of water. The character thus begins a battle to rebuild himself. For Amer Albarzawi, the interest was in using the medium of film to raise awareness of the conflict in Syria, and to tackle the issue of war with his audiences. He screens his films and shares his experiences during talks and discussions.