Why the Syrian filmmaker risked his life for his Oscar-nominated documentary ‘Of Fathers and Sons’

Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki. (Supplied)
Updated 26 February 2019
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Why the Syrian filmmaker risked his life for his Oscar-nominated documentary ‘Of Fathers and Sons’

  • 'Of Fathers and Sons' is the only non-American film that was nominated for Best Documentary at the 91st Academy Awards
  • Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Sons” is stunning

DUBAI: Of all the achievements of Arab filmmakers in recent times, Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Sons” may be the most stunning. The only non-American film nominated for Best Documentary at the 91st Academy Awards, which take place this Sunday, “Of Fathers and Sons” is the kind of film one might imagine making, but never believe could actually be made. It’s a story that Derki risked his life to tell.

For two and a half years, the Syrian filmmaker lived in northern Syria with Abu Osama, a member of the Al-Nusra Front (also known as Al-Qaeda in the Levant), and his family. There, he pretended to be sympathetic to their cause so that he could film them in an attempt to learn, first-hand, how young men become radicalized. Focusing on a father and his sons, the film lays bare in terrifying detail how young boys with kindness in their hearts find themselves in an Al-Qaeda training camp at a tender young age, all to gain the approval of their beloved patriarch.

“The idea started with my previous film,” Derki tells Arab News. “After the siege of Homs in my last film, ‘Return to Homs,’ after all the massacres, a lot of people on the ground moved to be more radical. It’s a war, but I started wondering how this movement managed to brainwash and bring all these people (over) to their side, and how they gained their trust. I saw a lot of kids with their fathers involved in fights. All these things put questions in my mind. I’m not a part of this, but I also have to understand.”

Derki didn’t want to make a film about the Syrian war or about violence. He wanted to examine life behind closed doors, focusing on the generation of young Syrian men raised in wartime. To do so, he had to go deep undercover.

After starting research for the film at the end of 2013, Derki used many ‘fixers’ to help him work his way into this close-knit community, gain people’s trust, and identify his subjects. He settled on Abu Osama and his sons. He convinced them that he was on their side, and was given intimate access to their lives in return — all the time aware that he could not let them know what kind of film he was actually making.

“Abu Osama wasn’t well known. He’s not the leader. What attracted me to him is how strongly he believed in what he was doing, in the ideology. When you look at him, he looks like a normal father, a lovely father,” says Derki. “This paradox between these two faces — between a lovely father and the father who is ready to sacrifice his kids in order to (realize) his ideology — this is part of my cinematic vision. If I went to a regular cliché jihadist, people would not watch the film. People would leave the cinema after five minutes, believe me.”

Though Derki managed to gain the trust of the family and the Al-Nusra Front, he was always conscious that no matter how friendly they were with him, he was never really creating a true connection with anyone he was filming. And he was powerless to create positive change while he was there.

“I was undercover as a sympathizer,” he says. “This is how they know me. I couldn’t be more than an observer. Sometimes, if I could, I would act as a merciful guy with the kids so they would not get punishment. I played that role. But in a big-topic issue, you couldn’t do anything but make your own film out of this chaos.

“I was connected to them only as a filmmaker, because, at the end of the day, if they knew I had a different purpose than what they thought, I would lose my life,” he continues. “When I had a good moment to film, I was satisfied and happy. As time passed, I had to accept all these things — all these ideas, all this behavior — without any (question). My mission there was to make a film.”

“Of Fathers and Sons” is purely observational. Derki keeps himself out of the story as much as possible, zooming in on a father and his son in everyday moments, in order to see how they interact, the love and trust they build, and the ways that a son’s dedication to his father is twisted to dark ends.

“The knowledge I got from this experience is about the roots of violence — the circle of violence — and the eternal relationship between the dictatorial father and his son; the masculine power that destroys our society,” Derki explains. “All of these things gave me more understanding that it all starts from childhood. Why does someone like me decide not to carry a weapon? If you grow up in a society in which your father, your teacher, are harming you, and punishing you by hitting you, and you’re used to receiving violence, then when you grow up you are very capable of carrying weapons and killing someone for any idea you start to believe in.”

By the second half of the film, the eldest son of Abu Osama is participating in an Al-Qaeda training camp. In one harrowing scene, the young boys are told to lie still on the ground while bullets are shot next to their heads and feet in order to teach them to lose their fear. Even now, years on from filming, Derki thinks about Abu Osama’s young children, hoping they can escape from the fate that already killed their father, who Derki says died at the end of 2018.

“Emotionally, I feel sad for the kids. They are still around 12 years old, it’s still possible to take them out of this and start a new life. Even in the moment when I was there, it was still possible,” he says. “They appreciate life. (But) in this ideology, they appreciate death. Death is their request — not life. Not humanity.”

Derki is speaking to Arab News from Los Angeles, ahead of Sunday’s Oscars ceremony. While there, Derki has had the chance to celebrate with the other Arab nominees, Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek and Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki.

“It was great to meet them and to have some conversation — to be three nominees from the Arab world at the biggest global celebration. It’s very intense,” he says. “I hope that, in the upcoming year, this will bring more success for Arab filmmakers.

“Nadine said she liked it so much. And I liked her film,” Derki continues. “I really want to work with Rami in the future, he’s a very talented actor.”

Whatever happens at the Oscars, Derki hopes the attention his film has received will ultimately be a force for good in the Arab world.

“It’s about how we can protect the new generation in the other Muslim countries,” he explains. “What can we do to build a generation without violence, to focus more on life, love, and communicating with other cultures, instead of building walls around us?”


Saudi Film Festival returns with roster of regional films and special section for Japan

Updated 16 April 2025
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Saudi Film Festival returns with roster of regional films and special section for Japan

DUBAI: The Saudi Film Festival is set to return for its 11th edition from April 17 to 23, at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra).

On Wednesday, the film festival announced that “SIWAR” by director Osama Al-Khurayji will be the event’s opening screening as well as the film's world premiere. 

The film, which unfolds between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, was primarily shot in the AlUla region of Saudi Arabia.

The film is inspired by true events and was written by Rashed Al-Munajjim. It tells the story of two newborns, one Saudi and the other Turkish, who were mistakenly switched at birth.

“The story of ‘SIWAR’ has stayed with me since the true incident occurred in 2012, and I’ve wanted to bring it to the screen. Finally, after all these years, I’m proud to present this human story, and I’d like to thank Film AlUla for their support in making this film. I’m also proud that its launch will take place at the Saudi Film Festival, which is very dear to my heart,” said director Al-Khurayji.

This year’s theme, “Cinema of Identity,” will explore how films shape and reflect individual, national, and cultural identities.

Organized by the Cinema Association in partnership with Ithra and supported by the Film Commission, the festival will feature 68 films from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf — including Iraq and Yemen — and beyond.

 

 

The narrative features in competition include “Hobal,” “My Driver and I,” “Thuqoub,” “Fakher Al-Suwaidi,” Anaashed Adam,” “Es-aaf,” “Behind the Mountains” and “Adjourned.”

A highlight this year is the honorary tribute to Ibrahim Al-Hasawi, a veteran Saudi actor with over three decades of experience in theater, television, and cinema. His notable works include the TV series “Tash Ma Tash” and “Bayni Wa Baynak,” as well as films such as Ithra’s “Hajjan,” “Zero Distance,” and the recent “Hobal.” 

 

 

This year’s lineup includes seven Saudi and Gulf feature films, 22 short fiction films, and seven documentaries, alongside 12 parallel screenings of Saudi productions. The festival will also host four panel discussions, four advanced masterclasses and three book-signing sessions for the Saudi Cinema Encyclopedia.

The plaza and library at Ithra will host ‘Meet the Expert’ one-on-one sessions and private screenings, offering filmmakers ample opportunities for personalized mentorship and feedback.

A key component of the festival is its production market, which will showcase 22 booths from various production entities, providing filmmakers with a platform to develop and present their work. And to network.

Additionally, Japanese cinema will be in focus, marking 70 years of Saudi-Japan relations, with eight Japanese films and expert discussions.

Those Japanese films include: 

 

 

‘River Returns’

Hoping to save the village and his family from a flood, a young boy journeys alone to a pool deep in the mountains, following a tradition that is disappearing in post-war Japan.

‘Blue and White’

Ryusuke, who is grieving, makes salt on the day of his wife's funeral, aiming to preserve the local area’s salt making history.

‘Toma #2’

When Toma decides to place his father, who suffers from dementia, in a facility, he discovers an instant camera in his father's room that he had forgotten to develop.  

‘Kaburagi’

Kaburaki, a photographer for a weekly magazine, receives a message from an unknown source tipping him off about an idol he has been chasing.

‘Extremely Short’

Based on a story by Hideo Furukawa, the short film follows a man searching for the shortest thing in Tokyo.

‘The New World’

On a sunny June day, Kaname summons old friends to the wilderness with a purpose, but only one arrives.


Jennifer Lopez set to light up Abu Dhabi on global tour stop

Updated 15 April 2025
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Jennifer Lopez set to light up Abu Dhabi on global tour stop

DUBAI: US superstar Jennifer Lopez is set to return to the UAE this summer with a performance at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on July 29. 

The concert is part of her “Up All Night Live” world tour and will mark her second tour performance in the Middle East, following a show in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on July 6.

Fans can look forward to chart-topping tracks such as “If You Had My Love,” “Jenny From The Block,” “Love Don’t Cost A Thing” and “On The Floor.”

This will not be her first performance in the UAE capital this year—Lopez previously took the stage in February as part of the Saadiyat Nights concert series.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential entertainers, Lopez has made her mark across music, film and television. She remains the only female artist to simultaneously top both the US box office and music charts, with over $3 billion in global box office earnings, more than 80 million records sold and billions of streams and views across her music catalogue.

In film, her recent Netflix releases “Atlas” and “The Mother” both debuted at number one on the platform, with “The Mother” now ranking among Netflix’s top 10 most-watched films of all time. 

In 2025, her latest film “Unstoppable” reached the number one spot globally on Amazon Prime Video.

Lopez’s UAE concert is organized by Ethara, a UAE-based events company. 

Ethara is also organizing Katy Perry’s concert in the UAE, which is  part of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend in December.

The music star will headline the grand finale on Dec. 7 at Etihad Park.

In addition to her global tour, Lopez is set to headline the after-race concert at the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025 in Jeddah this weekend, taking the stage on April 19.

She will join an impressive lineup of international and regional artists, including Usher, Major Lazer, Peggy Gou and PartyNextDoor, alongside Arab stars such as Marwan Pablo, Tul8te, Hisham Abbas, Mostafa Amar and Hamid El-Shaeri.


Georgina Rodriguez shows off Arabic tattoo

Updated 15 April 2025
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Georgina Rodriguez shows off Arabic tattoo

DUBAI: Argentine model Georgina Rodriguez gave fans a peek into her life in Saudi Arabia this week through a series of Instagram stories. One standout moment was a close-up photo highlighting her Arabic tattoo, which reads: “Keep all evil away from us, Amen.” 

She included the same phrase in Arabic as a caption. In the photo, she also showed off a large emerald-cut diamond ring, a glittering watch and a crocodile-skin handbag.

Later that afternoon, Rodriguez shared more family moments when she posted videos of stepson Cristiano Ronaldo Jr’s football training with Al-Nassr’s youth team. In one clip, captioned “The best team,” the group was seen singing and cheering.

Instagram/ @georginagio

Rodriguez also gave her followers a behind-the-scenes look at her personal routine in Riyadh, sharing a short video of herself practicing salsa dancing. “Third salsa class in Riyadh,” she wrote in Spanish.

The posts are part of her continued documentation of life in Saudi Arabia, where she lives with her partner, football star Cristiano Ronaldo, and their children.

The couple recently appeared together in a new campaign for Saudi Arabia’s luxury cruise line, Aroya Cruises. 

In the video, the pair exchange a lighthearted moment in Arabic. Rodriguez says “yalla” — meaning “let’s go” — after selecting the cruise on her phone, and Ronaldo replies cheerfully “yalla.”

The scene then changes into scenes of the couple exploring the cruise experience, with panoramic sea views, luxurious interiors and their private accommodation.

Both Ronaldo and Rodriguez shared the campaign on their social media profiles with the caption: “Home isn’t just a place — it’s a feeling.”

In addition to her lifestyle content and brand campaigns, Rodriguez has also taken part in humanitarian efforts in Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, she visited the King Fahd National Centre for Children’s Cancer to support young patients.

She was joined by Monica Esteban, president of Spanish charity, the Juegaterapia Foundation, as they distributed Baby Pelones dolls featuring a scarf designed by Rodriguez. During her visit, the model hugged and spoke with the children and joined in their play with the dolls.


Women-led ‘Unbound Territories’ is Dubai art consultancy’s first exhibition

Updated 15 April 2025
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Women-led ‘Unbound Territories’ is Dubai art consultancy’s first exhibition

DUBAI: Dubai’s contemporary art scene welcomes a new voice this April with the launch of A+ Art Consultancy’s inaugural exhibition, “Unbound Territories,” which will run until April 30 at Foundry Downtown.

Spearheaded by Azra Aban, the show is a collaboration with London’s Gillian Jason Gallery and brings together a powerhouse roster of female artists — from icons like Louise Bourgeois and Bridget Riley to emerging talents Megan Baker and Pippa El-Kadhi Brown.

Spearheaded by Azra Aban, the show is a collaboration with London’s Gillian Jason Gallery and brings together a powerhouse roster of female artists. (Supplied)

The partnership with Gillian Jason Gallery has deep roots, Aban explains.

“Our relationship with Gillian Jason Gallery goes back to my time in London, where I had the opportunity to work closely with their team and witness their thoughtful approach to bringing together artists in meaningful ways,” she told Arab News.

Pieces span sculpture, printmaking, painted photography, oil painting and works on paper. (Supplied)

“When I set out to launch A+ Art Consultancy with an exhibition that would introduce a compelling mix of emerging and established international artists to Dubai, it coincided with Gillian Jason Gallery’s own interest in expanding their community in the region — particularly around their mission to champion the best female artists working today.”

The shared mission to champion female artists meant the collaboration was a natural fit.

The exhibition’s title — “Unbound Territories” — reflects the curatorial intent behind the show.

“It captures the essence of what this particular collection of artists and artworks represents,” said Aban. “The exhibition brings together a diverse group of female artists … unfolding as a compelling dialogue that transcends time, geography, and artistic medium.”

Sadie Clayton’s ‘Into You II,’ 2025. (Supplied)

Pieces span sculpture, printmaking, painted photography, oil painting and works on paper — mediums that, in Aban’s words, “reveal the radical potential of material and form.”

The exhibition also marks the UAE debut of several artists, offering what she describes as “an important and meaningful milestone” for the regional art scene, and reflects shifting dynamics in the Middle East.

“Women across the world are increasingly stepping into the positions they have long deserved,” said Aban. “‘Unbound Territories’ stands as a testament to the powerful contributions of female artists … and to the profound impact they have had on the global creative landscape.”

She sees the UAE as uniquely positioned to amplify these voices. “The UAE’s art ecosystem is not just growing, it’s carving out a distinctive identity that merges regional heritage with a global perspective,” she said

That vision also defines the consultancy’s future direction.

“You can expect more collaborations that highlight underrepresented narratives, spark dialogue between cultures, and offer collectors access to unique and powerful work that endures,” promised Aban.


Effat Film Festival celebrates emerging Saudi filmmakers

Updated 14 April 2025
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Effat Film Festival celebrates emerging Saudi filmmakers

  • More than 2,200 film submissions from 90 countries
  • Dr. Mohamed Ghazala: It’s not about the money; it’s about uplifting filmmakers and nurturing a vibrant community

JEDDAH: The 12th edition of a student film festival celebrating the creativity of up-and-coming Saudi filmmakers is taking place at Effat University in Jeddah.

The Effat International Student Film Festival, which ends on April 15, has attracted more than 2,200 film submissions from 90 countries, as well as entries from 10 Saudi universities.

The competition shortlisted a total of 89 films from 28 countries, with cash prizes totaling more than SR50,000 ($13,333) available to the winners.

This year’s festival, held under the theme “From Dream to Film,” recognizes notable figures in the film industry, including Saudi director Abdullah Al-Muheisen, Saudi actor Hassan Assiri, Saudi director Khalid Al-Harbi, British director Joanna Quinn, and Prof. Ghada Gabara, president of the Egyptian Academy of Arts.

Other honorees hail from Japan, the US, and China.

Dr. Mohamed Ghazala, head of the School of Cinematic Arts and festival director, told of his passion for the event by emphasizing the importance of community and creative storytelling.

He said: “Running a film festival is just like making a film. We’re fueled by passion and the incredible support of our volunteers, contributors, and arts funding.

“It’s not about the money; it’s about uplifting filmmakers and nurturing a vibrant community. While organizing a festival can be challenging, it’s an exciting journey filled with hard work and joy.

“You don’t need a massive budget, endless time, or extensive business expertise to start a small film festival, the audience will find you. What matters most is a genuine love for film, the courage to take risks, and the drive to share meaningful stories.”

Jala Jalal, the leader of the student club at the School of Cinematic Arts, reflected on the significance of the festival for students.

Jalal said: “The showreel is more than just a collection of films, it’s a celebration of our creativity and growth as filmmakers. It’s a reflection of our voices and visions.

“What I love most about this festival is the opportunity it gives us to connect with the film industry, both locally and internationally. Working on the showreel and seeing the final outcome fills us with pride, not just in ourselves, but also in being part of a university that provides us the platform to bring our visions to life.”

The festival’s jury members come from a diverse international background. Friedrich Kluetsch, president of the documentary film jury, told Arab News: “The Saudi submissions were marked by a palpable joy in discovering the filmmakers’ surroundings and their close connection to the protagonists.

“It was evident in the films’ self-reflection, with three of them exploring filmmaking itself, portraying established filmmakers and an abandoned cinema.

“We noticed slight differences between the Saudi and international entries, particularly in the use of commentary or a narrator’s voice, which was more common in the international films and helped express the filmmakers' perspectives.”

Dr. Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, president of Effat University, highlighted the festival’s broader mission to provide a unique platform for Saudi and international film students to showcase their work.

She said: “This festival plays a pivotal role in creating connections between young filmmakers worldwide. It aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, fostering the country’s cultural movement and global presence in the arts.”

Dr. Asmaa Ibrahim, dean of the College of Architecture and Design at Effat University, underscored the growing international recognition of the festival, saying: “The increasing number of applications each year is testament to the festival’s growing status.

“It’s now the largest festival of its kind in the Arab world in terms of both the quality of films and the specialized focus on student filmmakers.”

Alongside film screenings, the festival features a range of seminars and workshops conducted by industry leaders, including representatives from Netflix, Sony, MBC Academy, and Toon Boom Animation.

Notable academic figures, such as professors from the University of Southern California, and the Communication University of China, were also scheduled to contribute lectures and workshops on topics like cinematography, directing, sound production, and film distribution.

An open discussion hosted by media personality Suha Al-Waal with actor and producer Hassan Assiri at Hayy Jameel also took place at the event.

Assiri, who was to be honored for his significant contributions to Saudi drama and production, shared insights into the evolving Saudi film industry, highlighting the growing opportunities for local talent and the increasing global recognition of Saudi productions.