City of Ghosts 2017
Directed and Produced by Matthew Heineman
Executive Producers Maiken Baird, Alex Gibney, Molly Thompson
Distributed by Amazon Studios and A&E Indiefilms
World Premiere Sundance Film Festival 2017
Directed, produced, and filmed by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land), City of Ghosts bears witness to a fearless group of anonymous activist journalists who banded together after their homeland in Syria was taken over by ISIS in 2014. With astonishing, deeply personal access, the film documents the group “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” (RBSS) as they risk everything to expose the terrifying reign of ISIS, and face the harsh realities of life undercover, on the run, and in exile. This immersive film from the front lines of one of the most dangerous places on earth provides a unique perspective on the ongoing Syrian conflict and the media war being fought between ISIS’s propaganda team and the RBSS journalists.
Variety “Amazon Buys ISIS Documentary ‘City of Ghosts’ (for $2 Million)”
Directed and Produced by Matthew Heineman
Executive Producers Maiken Baird, Alex Gibney, Molly Thompson
Distributed by Amazon Studios and A&E Indiefilms
World Premiere Sundance Film Festival 2017
Directed, produced, and filmed by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land), City of Ghosts bears witness to a fearless group of anonymous activist journalists who banded together after their homeland in Syria was taken over by ISIS in 2014. With astonishing, deeply personal access, the film documents the group “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” (RBSS) as they risk everything to expose the terrifying reign of ISIS, and face the harsh realities of life undercover, on the run, and in exile. This immersive film from the front lines of one of the most dangerous places on earth provides a unique perspective on the ongoing Syrian conflict and the media war being fought between ISIS’s propaganda team and the RBSS journalists.
Variety “Amazon Buys ISIS Documentary ‘City of Ghosts’ (for $2 Million)”
Primetime Emmy Awards
Nominee, Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
Nominee, Best Director; Best Political Documentary;
Best Documentary
Nominee, Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
Nominee, Best Director; Best Political Documentary;
Best Documentary
Academy Awards
Shortlist, Best Documentary (Feature)
Directors’ Guild of Awards
Winner, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
International Documentary Association
Winner, Courage Under Fire Award
Shortlist, Best Documentary (Feature)
Directors’ Guild of Awards
Winner, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
International Documentary Association
Winner, Courage Under Fire Award
“Heineman may have made the definitive contemporary documentary about the tragedy of Syria, as well as an epoch-defining piece on modern media tactics.”
The Guardian
“The heroism on display in City of Ghosts is unforgettable, and the film remains an ever-essential reminder of the high costs and vital necessity of journalism in this—or any—fight against evil.”
Associated Press
The Guardian
“The heroism on display in City of Ghosts is unforgettable, and the film remains an ever-essential reminder of the high costs and vital necessity of journalism in this—or any—fight against evil.”
Associated Press
“An urgent and heart-heavy account of Syrian resistance from the ground up.”
New York Times
“A profound study in bravery.”
New York Post
“An extremely effective doc with such a personal core. It's a movie that establishes awe and compassion for people who are doing, and experienced, certain things we can only imagine. Their unbelievable vigilance is given a complex portrait in Heineman's film.”
New York Times
“A profound study in bravery.”
New York Post
“An extremely effective doc with such a personal core. It's a movie that establishes awe and compassion for people who are doing, and experienced, certain things we can only imagine. Their unbelievable vigilance is given a complex portrait in Heineman's film.”
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