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City of Ghosts Reviews. Syrian journalists fighting against Isis propaganda

Oersted

Member
Clip

https://youtu.be/2NCLFoFwrIw


Summary

City of Ghosts follows the journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”— a handful of anonymous activists who banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014. With astonishing, deeply personal access, this is the story of a brave group of citizen journalists as they face the realities of life undercover, on the run, and in exile, risking their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today.

Reviews

The experience of watching “City of Ghosts” is similar to “Cartel Land” in that you remain wide-eyed, jaw dropped the entire time, letting out involuntary yelps and gasps here and there. Heineman doesn’t sugar coat anything at all. This is the truth about what is happening in Syria, and we should be shocked, dismayed and horrified.

http://theplaylist.net/dcoumentary-...ng-look-battle-isis-sundance-review-20170121/

The group continues at great personal risk, and yet, as Heineman’s original footage reveals, there’s more to their refugee status in Europe than cocktail parties and awards. In Berlin, they take a stand against a group of anti-immigration neo-Nazis, trying to reason with German nationalists seemingly incapable of distinguishing between the terrorists who drove a truck through a crowded Christmas market and the brave crusaders doing their part to fight ISIS from afar. What “City of Ghosts” does best is to humanize those who’ve suffered most from the conflict in Syria, educating us through both outrage and compassion.

http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/city-of-ghosts-review-sundance-1201963917/

So Heineman offers up a double portrait of devastation, of a truly destroyed city and of partially decimated survivors, leaving the viewer with an empathetic sense of deep sorrow.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/city-ghosts-film-review-sundance-2017-967151

There is life and death in every single frame of City of Ghosts, not to be easily forgotten.

https://thefilmstage.com/reviews/su...tures-the-life-and-death-battle-against-isis/

In doing so, Heineman may have made the definitive contemporary documentary about the tragedy of Syria, as well as an epoch-defining piece on modern media tactics.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...iew-could-be-the-definitive-syria-documentary

Will add more

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Oersted

Member
Heineman’s own footage is strong, too. He shows us his expat heroes making new lives, cheered and somewhat discomfited by Berlin’s libertine openness. They field calls from Raqqans, type up firsthand news reports, wince at photographs of air strikes. They wait to hear who has died. They’re rewarded, at times, by the West: In Manhattan, spokesman Abdalaziz Alhamza is feted by David Remnick and the Committee to Protect Journalists. In Berlin, though, several RBSS survivors behold an anti-immigrant protest where the fearful shout, “Deport them!” Again, Heineman’s film urges us not to take any horrors for granted. It is invaluable, as both moral instruction and documented history.

https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/0...a-and-the-courage-of-its-citizen-journalists/

One by one we meet these inspiring reporters as they risk their lives (and the lives of their families) to stand up to the barbarity of terrorism and totalitarian rule, armed with nothing more than stealth, their wits, and the globe-­spanning reach of the internet. Even the lucky ones who manage to get out of Syria to safe houses in Germany or Turkey keep resisting, reporting, and publishing in exile. As the world slowly wrestles with how to fight ISIS, here’s a story of a handful of intrepid individuals who don’t have the luxury of waiting. City of Ghosts shows us what journalism can do in the face of evil. Its message is haunting, humane, and ultimately hopeful.

http://ew.com/movies/2017/06/29/city-of-ghosts-ew-review/
 

Oersted

Member
"City of Ghosts," a blunt instrument of a documentary, is an urgent and heart-heavy account of Syrian resistance from the ground up.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/movies/city-of-ghosts-review.html

Their story should be required viewing for anyone engaging in discussion of the refugee "problem."

http://nypost.com/2017/07/06/meet-the-brave-syrian-citizens-documenting-the-horrors-of-isis/

As information-age documents go, it's as necessary a glimpse of 21st century heroism and ideology warfare as you're going to encounter, and a brutally effective argument for compassion toward those forced from their homeland.

http://www.thewrap.com/city-of-ghosts-review-isis-documentary/

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.

https://apnews.com/92ad6ec65a44470f...ity-of-Ghosts,'-true-heroism-in-an-IS-capital

100%/ 8.6 at Rotten and 86% at MC
 
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