City of Ghosts' and 'Cries From Syria' Showcase Heroes, Victims. It’s not unusual for film- festival movies to have some overlap in theme and approach, but “City of Ghosts” and “Cries From Syria,” both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, have an extra measure of synchronicity. Both films were made by Oscar nominees who competed against each other just last year with visceral, immersive documentaries — Matthew Heineman with “Cartel Land” and Evgeny Afineevsky with “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.” And the new movies by Heineman and Afineevsky are both set in today’s Syria, ravaged by ISIS, Russian bombs and the repressive Assad regime.
Heineman’s “City of Ghosts,” which will be released on Amazon Prime later this year, and Afineevsky “Cries From Syria,” which did the same a day later, aren’t even the only Syria- set docs at this year’s festival; “Last Men in Aleppo” premieres on Monday, and its subjects, the White Helmets or Syrian Defense League, are mentioned in both “City of Ghosts” and “Cries From Syria” (as well as the Oscar- shortlisted short doc “The White Helmets”). Also Read: 'A Ghost Story' Sundance Review: How Can a Ghost in a Bedsheet Break Your Heart? The films are all extremely timely, with “City of Ghosts” taking on added resonance as the Trump administration has devoted much of its first weekend to criticizing journalists. The film follows the members of Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), journalists who have spent the last few years trying to document the repression and brutality in their home country. Increasingly, they’ve had to do so from a distance — and even then, the act of reporting has put their lives in danger, with ISIS calling for the murder of reporters who are working from what they hoped would be the relative safety of Turkey or Germany.
Heineman, whose last film quite literally put him in the line of fire in Mexico’s drug wars, takes his cameras to the disparate locations from which the members of RBSS do their work. That work involves spreading the word about the horrors visited upon Syria by the corrupt Assad regime, by ISIS taking advantage of the chaos and by Russia sending in bombers, ostensibly to fight ISIS but in practice to kill thousands of civilians who might not support Assad. Also Read: 'Walking Out' Sundance Review: Matt Bomer Anchors Powerful Father- Son Drama. We see some of the carnage — but “City of Ghosts” is focused not on the news, but on the people who risk everything to spread it. That makes it a less immersive and immediate piece of filmmaking than “Cartel Land,” though no less valuable. Heineman finds a fascinating perspective on the unfolding tragedy, and finds heroes in an unexpected place (and, for many people these days, an unexpected profession). Afineevsky’s “Cries From Syria” does not so much look for heroes as show the awful face of tragedy.
CRIES from SYRIA. 2,666 likes · 34 talking about this. True story of hard five years of Syrian revolution, horrible war, chemical weapon, migration and. 'Cries From Syria," from Evgeny Afineevsky, who directed the Oscar-nominated documentary 'Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom,' looks at the ongoing conflict.
A warning might be in order: The doc, which debuted on HBO in March, might well be the hardest film to sit through in the Sundance lineup — not because it’s bad, but because it is so overwhelmingly sad. The film opens with a shot of the corpse of a young boy, lying face- down on a Mediterranean beach after drowning when a boatload of Syrian refugees sank. It’s a gut punch in the first minute of the movie, impossible to shake. Also Read: 'Wind River' Sundance Review: Jeremy Renner Shines in Taylor Sheridan's Directorial Debut.
And “Cries From Syria” doesn’t get any easier, because the footage Afineevsky has gathered and shot pulls no punches when it comes to depicting the awful toll that the fighting has taken on Syria’s citizens, and especially its children. Afineevsky’s “Winter on Fire,” which dealt with the citizen protests that toppled Ukraine’s president, has moments of real triumph (though a postscript about Putin’s plans for the country was sobering). In “Cries From Syria,” victories are small and triumph is nowhere to be found; as the title suggests, this is a howl of pain from a ravaged land. Truthfully, I’m not sure that I would say you should see “Cries From Syria”; the experience is, at times, that excruciating. But I can tell you that if you do see it, you won’t forget it.“Cries From Syria” debuted in March on HBO; “City of Ghosts” will premiere on Amazon Prime later this year. Charlize Theron, Mary Mc.
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Cormack, and Chelsea Handler. Pink hats and post- march clothes dominated the sidewalk style scene on Saturday after a sea of activism filled Park City for the Women's March. Here, the trio ducked in to the Hub at Park City Live, a sprawling hospitality lounge. Michael Kovac/Getty Images. Aisha Tyler. Tyler brightened Saturday's favorite uniform (the pink hat) with a jacket that echoed a famous refrain from UFC fighter Ronda Rousey: "Fight like a girl."Getty Images. Handler would end the day as many do: at TAO.
Al Powers/Powers Imagery. Common. In town a few days ahead of his movie premiere, the rapper was a surprise performer at the second night of the popular pop up nightclub. Vegas nightlife photography sorcerer Al Powers captured this pic, with event partner Don Julio's 1. Magnum as the trophy that sat atop VIP tables. Not pictured: Jeremy Renner, Aisha Tyler and Mary J. Blige, all on the scene. Al Powers/Powers Imagery. John Legend. Common's co- Oscar winner from two years ago for "Glory" made the rounds, stopping by this after- party and an event for his own WGN show "Underground" earlier in the night.
Al Powers/Powers Imagery. Matt Damon, Marcus Samuelsson and Gary White.
- · A scene from Evgeny Afineevsky’s “Cries From Syria.” Credit HBO. Six years into the Syrian war, we’ve grown accustomed to the images of death and.
- · Oscar nominee's Evgeny Afineevsky's documentary on HBO, "Cries From Syria," provides harrowing accounts of the war.
- · "City of Ghosts" and "Cries From Syria," both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend, have an extra measure of synchronicity.
Cries From Syria Cher
A seated lunch at Sundance? Yes. On the busy opening Saturday afternoon, the trio sat at a "head table" while chalices of Stella Artois were raised by the crowd.
Cries From Syria Review Roger Ebert Cries From Syria' documentary lays bare the conflict's gruesome realities NPR 'Cries from Syria' is an unsparing. HBO has picked up the U.S. television rights for Evgeny Afineevsky’s “Cries from Syria,” a documentary that covers Syria’s ongoing civil war. The official website for the HBO Documentary Cries From Syria featuring videos, images, interviews, resources and schedule information.
The event promoted the film- friendly brew's commitment to Damon and White's Water. Getty Images. Jeremy Renner. From one Jason Bourne to another.. Renner was one of the many faces to pass through AT& T's Village at the Lift on Saturday (Jan. The space has become an industry sanctuary this weekend. With minimal red carpet and flashbulb bombast, the photo- free Nobu restaurant and the Jeffrey Best- created "Cabin" restaurant/bar has had the same socially sticky bass line of Soho House.
Getty Images. Jack Huston and Tye Sheridan. Though it loosk like an introduction, these two star in "The Yellow Birds," a drama about soldiers in the Iraq War. Getty Images. Dave Bautista.
The former professional fighter's dystopian "Bushwick" opened up the first night of Kia Supper Suite at Firewood on Main, The Party Report's festival partner. With a line stretching down the street, the Kias pulled up to bring cast and filmmakers in to the space formerly known as Cisero's. Jason Schwartzman and prolific producer Lauren Selig were both spotted having private dinners earlier there on Saturday. Getty Images"Bushwick": Bautista and Brittany Snow. Inside the packed opening night event away from the slushy streets outside, Bautista and Brittany Snow warmed up in the VIP booths downstairs.
Getty Images. The Breakout Actors of Sundance 2. Meanwhile, photographer Jeff Vespa curated the breakout performances of Sundance for his annual "Verge" list, a print book photo portfolio. At Saturday night's party at Direc. TV's space: Margaret Qualley, Keith Stanfield, Harris Dickinson, Josh O'Connor, Haley Lu Richardson, Michelle Morgan and Danielle Macdonald. Randy Shropshire/Getty Images. Vespa addresses the crowd at the traditionally an industry- heavy affair that proved as popular as ever in a new space that doubles as a cafe during the day. Randy Shropshire/Getty Images.
Michelle Morgan and Jeff Vespa. There is heat for "the next big things." Before it was over, the fire marshal had to "shut down the door" as a safety issue - - meaning, nobody could get access regardless of status. Honored for "L. A. Times," Morgan was safely inside before the cutoff. Randy Shropshire/Getty Images.
The "Verge" scene. Randy Shropshire/Getty Images. Tiësto. Meanwhile, up at Park City Live, Tiesto played an "open format" set for film "Before I Fall" and Gen- Z media powerhouse Awesomness. TV's party during Snow Fest. Straying far from the four- four house thump, Tiesto pulled from all areas of pop music, weaving together Drake's "One Dance," MØ's "Final Song," Bieber's "Let Me Love You," Yeezus era Kanye, Twenty One Pilots' hit "Ride" and hip hop breakout 2. Savage alongside The Killers and his own hit "Red Lights." It was a musical #Pot. Luck. Getty Images.
Justin Verlander and Kate Upton. At Tiesto's next door neighbor, Rock & Reilly's, we learned how it pays to be Kate Upton. At a Golf Digest event with Conde Nast on Saturday afternoon (Jan. Arnold Palmer. Getty Images.
Keanu Reeves, Mimi Kim and Brian Malarkey. Buffalo ranch octopus, steak and the one- time "Matrix" man were on the menu at the second night of Chef.
Dance. We know Chef Malarkey from Herringbone at the Mondrian in L. A. and Searsucker in Vegas. Jordan Kartchner.
Christina Robinson. The former "Dexter" star passed through Debbie Durkin's Eco. Luxe Lounge - - the sole survivor of the formerly thriving gifting suite industry.
In addition to providing "hangover, altitude and anti- aging IVs," the organizers focused on promoting their charity partner Shriners for Children Medical Center. Getty Images. Roxanne ShantéThe hip hop pioneer of the early 1. Sunday, "Roxanne Roxanne," lifting the chorus of an early hit. The team behind Sundance 2. Dope," Pharrell Williams and Forest Whitaker produced the feature. Getty Images. Kate Micucci.
Kate broke off from the roving ensemble of "The Little Hours" to hit The Hub at Park City Live on Saturday afternoon, a sprawling hospitality lounge with a climate change activation and a pop- up studio from Marie Claire magazine. Getty Images. Barry Rothbart. Rothbart stars with "Fargo" Season 1 breakout Allison Tolman in the series "Downward Dog," which premiered its first four episodes at Sundance. But first.. the Hub at Park City live for a photo set up by the nonprofit Cool Effect, a climate change advocacy group.
Cries From Syria’ Review: History From the Front Line. March 9, 2. 01. 7 5: 3. ET. The opening scene of this remarkable documentary will be familiar—that of a little boy in a red shirt and blue shorts lying dead on a beach near Bodrum, Turkey, after the dinghy, in which he and the rest of his Syrian refugee family struggling to reach Greece, had capsized. In the photograph taken on Sept. Alan Kurdi is curled up at the water’s edge, face down, but nothing about that posture could conceal the life of this child, the life that had been, now snuffed out. This was what made the picture..