In November, Witness has a bumper lineup of acclaimed documentaries fresh off the international film festival circuit. These include Syria-set The Father, The Son and the Jihad, which screened at Hot Docs and IDFA; Piano: Ukraine’s Uprising, which won Best Documentary at Mediawave and a Special Mention at the Krakow Film Festival; and Rio-set In The Shadow of the Hill, which won the Australian documentary competition at the Sydney Film Festival.
The Father, The Son and The Jihad
The Father, The Son and The Jihad is the unique story of the Ayachis, a French-Syrian Muslim family who trade their peaceful lives in Europe for revolution in Syria.
The Ayachis are no ordinary ‘Jihadists;’ their path and ideas couldn’t be further from the clichés. The father, exiled to France in the 70s, is a descendant from an old and prestigious family of the Syrian Sunni aristocracy. His family was hailed as a model of Muslim integration in France in the 80s, notably in a televised documentary.
The first hour of this two-part special follows the story of the son, who was a brilliant university student and established a small computer business. He then became a famous warlord in Syria fighting against Assad and ISIL. The second hour of this two-part special follows the father’s return to Syria to continue his son’s work.
As POV Magazine wrote after its North American premiere at Hot Docs earlier this year, this documentary is “perilous and action-packed, taking the viewer deep inside the militant Islamist world and its complexities…. This two-hour epic has got it all: fascinating characters, narrative turns that knock your socks off, vivid cinematography, fluid editing rhythms, and a throbbing middle-eastern inflected score. The doc pulls you in right off the top and never lets go until its poignant finale.”
Part one premieres on 9 November 2016 at 2000GMT / 2100 WAT / 2200 CAT / 2300 EAT, with part two premiering a week later on 16 November 2016. The Father, The Son and the Jihad will be available to stream after the first episode airs.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
(Via: NewsGhana)
