A Syrian Love Story
{{Infobox film
| name = A Syrian Love Story
| image = A Syrian Love Story.png
| alt =
| caption = Film poster
| director = Sean McAllister
| producer = Elhum Shakerifar
Sean McAllister
| music = Terence Dunn
| cinematography =
| editing = Matt Scholes
| studio =
| distributor = Cinema Politica (Canada)
| released = {{Film date|2015|09|18|UK|df=yes}}
| runtime = 76 mins.
| country = UK
Syria
| language = English
}}
A Syrian Love Story is a 2015 British documentary by Sean McAllister, detailing the hardships of a family in modern-day Syria.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34296328|title=A Syrian love story - BBC News|work=BBC News |date=20 September 2015 |accessdate=2016-07-13}}
Synopsis
Amer met Raghda in a Syrian prison fifteen years ago. When released, they got married and started a family together, only to be torn apart by the Assad dictatorship. At ages four and fourteen, their children Bob and Kaka have already spent their whole lives watching either of their parents go to prison for their political beliefs.
Production
Filming began in 2009, prior to the revolutions in Arab countries – at the time, Raghda was a political prisoner and Amer was caring for their children alone. It was filmed in the Yarmouk Camp in Damascus, infamous for its treatment of inhabitants, which included starvation.{{cite web|url=http://asyrianlovestory.com/about|title=About | A Syrian Love Story|publisher=asyrianlovestory.com|accessdate=2016-07-13}}
Reception
The film received very positive reviews. {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|92|8.2|13|ref=yes|access-date=15 December 2022}}
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film five stars and said, 'McAllister shows us the human cost of a geopolitical tragedy; he shows us that “refugees” are not just nameless pathetic mendicants whose only desire is pity. They are as intelligent and complex as the EU citizens glimpsing them on the news. It is a compelling film.'{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/16/the-50-best-films-of-2015-in-the-uk-no-3-a-syrian-love-story|title=The 50 best films of 2015 in the UK – No 3: A Syrian Love Story | Film | The Guardian|newspaper=The Guardian |date=16 December 2015 |publisher=theguardian.com|accessdate=2016-07-13 |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Peter }} Trevor Johnston of Time Out gave the film four stars and said, ' ‘A Syrian Love Story’ presents us first with the gnawing anxiety of life under the ruthless Al-Assad regime, then the fresh challenges of a fractious, painful exile where damaged minds take time to heal, before we finally see the household become distant observers to the destruction of their homeland and the deaths of many friends.'{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/london/film/a-syrian-love-story|title=A Syrian Love Story (2015), directed by Sean McAllister | Film review|date=15 September 2015 |publisher=timeout.com|accessdate=2016-07-13}}
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable" |
| style="text-align:center;"
! colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | List of Accolades |
| style="text-align:center;"
! style="background:#ccc;" width="40%"| Award / Film Festival ! style="background:#ccc;" width="30%"| Category ! style="background:#ccc;" width="25%"| Recipient(s) ! style="background:#ccc;" width="15%"| Result |
| style="border-top:2px solid gray;" |
| 2015 Biografilm Festival
| Jury Special Mention | Sean McAllister | {{won}}{{cite web | url =https://www.biografilm.it/archivio-2005-2018/edizione-11/ | title =Edizione 2015 | publisher = Biografilm | access-date =2024-06-04}} |
| 2015 BAFTA
| Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director or Producer | Sean McAllister |
| 2015 Sheffield Doc/Fest
| Grand Jury Prize | Sean McAllister |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://asyrianlovestory.com/ Official Website]
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4684410/ A Syrian Love Story] at the Internet Movie Database
- [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_syrian_love_story/ A Syrian Love Story] at Rotten Tomatoes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Syrian Love Story, A}}
Category:2015 documentary films
Category:British documentary films
Category:Syrian documentary films
Category:Documentary films about Syria
Category:Films set in Damascus
Category:Films directed by Sean McAllister