( CNN ) -- In Syria , not all rebels carry guns , some carry cameras . Charif Kiwan heads up Abounaddara , a collective of Syrian filmmakers who are hoping to affect change in how the Syrian conflict is portrayed , both by President Bashar al-Assad and the media at large . Abounaddara 's members -- all volunteer , all anonymous -- create short films , generally two to five minutes long , in which they give a voice to ordinary citizens . They try to capture the day-to-day lives of Syrians , whether they live inside the country , in a nearby refugee camp , or further abroad in exile . After editing , the films are posted to video-sharing site Vimeo every Friday . `` The idea is to make films that allow the universal viewer to feel something without knowing anything about Syria , '' says Kiwan . The film 's subjects can be anybody -- a soldier with the Free Syrian Army , a widowed shopkeeper or a young woman arguing her right not to wear a veil . They , too , are anonymous ; their names are never revealed , nor are their locations . `` We try to make the viewer ask himself questions . We want to make him reconsider the representation of this conflict , '' says Kiwan . `` There are anonymous men and women who are fighting for their freedom , no matter if they are Christian or Muslim , soldiers or loyalists . We just focus on the shared humanity and deep humanity that is in everyone . '' Who shapes the narrative ? Kiwan believes that President al-Assad has been very savvy when it comes to managing his image and that of the war . A prime example is how the Syrian leader has depicted all rebels as `` terrorists '' . `` Assad is saying , ' I am a good guy . I may be a dictator , but I am a gentleman fighting against Islamists . You may not like me , but support me , because we have the same enemy . ' He 's succeeding in making the world believe that 's the case , '' he says . Since the conflict started over three years ago , Assad has set up an Instagram account that depicts him as the benevolent dictator -- kissing babies and waving to cheering crowds . He has also allegedly sought to control the information that leaves his country through internet blackouts , while the Syrian Electronic Army has tried to manage public opinion by hacking the websites and social media accounts of major news organizations , including The New York Times and Associated Press , and infiltrating them with pro-Assad missives . `` We do n't face the same dangers as journalists or citizen reporters , and we 're not fighting with weapons , but the regime views everyone who carries a camera as an enemy , so it 's still very , very dangerous , '' says Kirwan . `` In Syria , the image can kill . It 's really true . '' Kiwan equates Abounaddara with snipers , training their sights on the regime . `` When we started in 2010 , in order to film anything in Syria , you had to ask permission from the censors , '' he says . `` Our idea was that if we used the internet , and did n't chose political subjects openly , the censor would n't see anything . '' Making it difficult to care . Abounaddara does n't rely on violence to get the message across . For Kiwan , a stronger message is one that does n't involve bloodshed . `` The mainstream media relies on images of people who have been wounded or killed , but then we as a people are associated with misery . It 's voyeurism , '' says Kiwan . `` You make people more accepting of the destruction . They viewer thinks , 'OK , they are dying , but they are not like me . ' We believe that the only way to protect people is to show their image with dignity . Once you see them that way , you can feel their humanity , and you can not accept the situation as easily . '' Getting noticed . Abounaddara is starting to garner some attention of its own . `` Of God and Dogs , '' a film in which a soldier in the Free Syrian Army confesses to killing an innocent man , won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival . A selection of shorts were also screened in London as part of the Human Rights Watch film festival . `` It 's important for us that we get recognized as film makers by our colleagues around the world , because this protects us from political tutelage , '' says Kiwan .
Syrian film collective Abounaddara posts weekly short movies to Vimeo . The group has been posting videos since 2009 and is one of the most popular online video sites in Syria. The filmmakers say they are 'snipers ' to the Assad regime .