Documentary chronicling the courageous work of a group of anonymous Syrian activists who banded together under the group title Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently after their homeland was grabbed by Isis in 2014. This band of citizen journalists lived undercover - and in exile - risking their lives to reveal the repulsive acts of the merciless jihadist group
A story of extraordinary heroism emerges in this stunning documentary from Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land), as the activists known as RBSS (Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently) risk their lives to publicise the bitter truth of survival in their Daesh-occupied home town. Once Raqqa was a hotbed of pro-democracy protest, which prompted a violent crackdown by the Assad regime, after which Daesh forces invaded and presented themselves as liberators. The subsequent reality proved to be anything but liberation, and soon local citizen reporters were posting videos online and alerting the world to their plight. The film follows three of their number, who are forced to flee for their lives and decamp to Germany where they continue to receive updates and maintain the group's internet footprint. Their dedication to truth and justice in the face of murderous oppression is truly humbling to behold, yet Heineman also captures the insidious effect of their everyday fears on friends and family back home. It puts an affecting human face on a real-life situation that so often appears overwhelming and intractable.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Matthew Heineman |
