The Amina Profile

{{Infobox film

| name = The Amina Profile

| image = The Amina Profile POSTER.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| director = Sophie Deraspe

| producer = Isabelle Couture
Nathalie Cloutier

| writer = Sophie Deraspe

| starring = Sandra Bagaria

| music = Sam Shalabi

| cinematography = Sophie Deraspe

| editing = Geoffrey Boulangé
Sophie Deraspe

| studio = National Film Board
Esperamos

| distributor = National Film Board
F3M

| released = {{Film date|2015|01|24|Sundance|2015|07|24}}

| runtime = 84 minutes

| country = Canada

| language = English
French
Arabic

| budget =

| gross =

}}

The Amina Profile (French: Le profil Amina) is a 2015 Canadian documentary film directed by Sophie Deraspe and coproduced by Esperamos and the National Film Board of Canada, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema category. It was pitched at Sheffield Doc/Fest's MeetMarket in 2014. The film was retitled A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile by its U.S. distributor IFC for the theatrical release and for subsequent film festival screenings.

Synopsis

The film centres on Sandra Bagaria, a Montreal woman who was in an online relationship with star blogger Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari. Bagaria became involved in the international attempt to rescue Arraf after her purported abduction by the Syrian regime.[https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/06/09/137071842/gay-girl-in-damascus-a-personal-friend-sifts-through-whats-real "'Gay Girl In Damascus:' A Personal Friend Sifts Through What's Real"]. NPR, June 9, 2011.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-the-amina-profile-1201412549/ |title=Sundance Film Review: 'The Amina Profile'|last=Kenigsberg|first=Ben|date=January 25, 2015|work=Variety|accessdate=January 30, 2015}}

Reception

Under its French title, Le profil Amina, the film was named Best Documentary:Society at the 2016 Prix Gémeaux, honouring the best in francophone Canadian television.{{Cite web|url=http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2016/09/19/les-pays-den-haut-au-sommet|title=Les pays d'en haut au sommet |last=Lemieux |first=Marc-André |website=Le Journal de Montréal|access-date=September 26, 2016}}

The film received Canadian Screen Award nominations for Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Editing in a Documentary at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards.

It was shortlisted for the Prix collégial du cinéma québécois in 2016.David Rémillard, [https://www.lesoleil.com/2016/03/20/chorus-remporte-leprix-collegial-du-cinema-quebecois-e31fb377aa1a0734514773a334aceee6 "Chorus remporte le Prix collégial du cinéma québécois"]. Le Soleil, March 19, 2016.