2017 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary

Born in Syria

This intimate documentary follows a group of Syrian children refugees who narrowly escape a life of torment and integrate into a foreign land.

Douma Underground

"With the barrel bombs falling on Ghouta, civilians sought shelter in the basements of their homes. I was one of them, holding on to my camera, I tried to film what I couldn’t express in words."

The Silent Revolution

The documentary The Silent Revolution explains the revolution involving nearly 3 million kurds living in Syria. With the outbreak of the civil war —in the frame of the called ‘Arab Spring'— the Kurds of Syria have taken advantage of the context to fight for their political and cultural recognition and thus end the repression that started more than 50 years ago.

The Story Won't Die

THE STORY WON’T DIE, from Award-winning filmmaker David Henry Gerson, is an inspiring, timely look at a young generation of Syrian artists who use their work to protest and process what is currently the world’s largest and longest ongoing displacement of people since WWII. The film is produced by Sundance Award-winner Odessa Rae (Navalny). Rapper Abu Hajar, together with other creative personalities of the Syrian uprising, a post-Rock musician (Anas Maghrebi), members of the first all-female Syrian rock band (Bahila Hijazi + Lynn Mayya), break-dancer (Bboy Shadow), choreographer (Medhat Aldaabal), and visual artists (Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam + Diala Brisly), use their art to rise in revolution and endure in exile in this new documentary reflecting on a battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression. It is an uplifting and humanizing look at what it means to be a refugee in today’s world and offers inspiring and hopeful vantages on a creative response to the chaos of war.

The 1001 Faces of Palmyra

Two thousand years ago, it was a flourishing city in the middle of what is now a Syrian desert. At the crossroads of trade routes, Palmyra attracted caravanners from Mesopotamia, India and China. In what remains of its ruins, rediscovered by Europeans in the 17th century, its numerous necropolises bear witness to a prosperous past. Carved in limestone in the first centuries of our era, the faces of the representatives - men, women and children - of its greatest families adorn the walls of its tombs. Since 2012, Danish archaeologist Rubina Raja has been leading a long-term project to find, document and retrace the family trees and daily life of these Palmyrenians.

Palmyra: Rising from the Ashes

Documentary following a team of technicians in Italy as they reconstruct a number of historic Middle Eastern artifacts that were vandalized at the hands of Islamic State.

Silvered Water

Shot by a reported “1,001 Syrians” according to the filmmakers, SILVERED WATER, SYRIA SELF-PORTRAIT impressionistically documents the destruction and atrocities of the civil war through a combination of eye-witness accounts shot on mobile phones and posted to the internet, and footage shot by Bedirxan during the siege of Homs. Bedirxan, an elementary school teacher in Homs, had contacted Mohammed online to ask him what he would film, if he was there. Mohammed, working in forced exile in Paris, is tormented by feelings of cowardice as he witnesses the horrors from afar, and the self-reflexive film also chronicles how he is haunted in his dreams by a Syrian boy once shot to death for snatching his camera on the street.

Salam

In the privacy of her own home, a Syrian woman shares her thoughts and feelings, talking about her existence, and her desire to be open about her sexuality in a conservative society.

The Matchmaker

A unique interview with Tooba Gondal, the woman who groomed and lured scores of Western women to join ISIS. Using social media, she became a deadly matchmaker, recruiting a number of high-profile “jihadi brides” for ISIS militants in Syria: she allegedly helped organise the transporting of three British schoolgirls, including Shamima Begum, to Syria.

The Volunteers

Filmmaker River Hagg travels to war-torn Syria, in hopes of documenting the war between the YPG and ISIS. He eventually finds himself in a volunteer unit, the only medics on the battlefield.

Mr. Gay Syria

In focusing his attention on the competitors of Mr Gay Syria, director Ayse Toprak shatters the one-dimensional meaning of “refugee”. Using the pageant as a means of escape from political persecution, the organiser Mahmoud — already given asylum in Berlin — hopes to offer the winner a chance to travel as well as bring international attention to the life-threatening situations faced by LGBT Syrians.

Dalya's Other Country

In 2012 Dalya and her mother Rudayna fled Aleppo for Los Angeles as war took over. Months before, Rudayna learns a secret that destroys her marriage, leaving her single at midlife. Arriving in LA, Dalya enrolls as the only Muslim at Holy Family Catholic High School. Can mother and daughter remake themselves while holding on to their Islamic traditions?

Süchtig nach Jihad

Everyday Life in a Syrian Village

The first documentary to present an unabashed critique of the impact of the Syrian government’s agricultural and land reforms, Everyday Life in a Syrian Village delivers a powerful jab at the state’s conceit of redressing social and economic inequities.

Little Gandhi

The story of iconic Syrian peace activist Ghiyath Matar whose brutal torture and death at the age of 26 outraged the international community and erupted into one of the most violent uprisings in modern history.

Rojava - Northern Syria: The Kurds Between Conflict and Democracy

What will happen next in northern Syria? All of the parties to the conflict - the Americans, Assad’s regime, Russia, Iran and Turkey - have their own agendas for the war-torn region. But what do the Kurds themselves think about their future?

Syria: Israel's invisible Hand

A horrible six year conflict befell Syria with a multitude of factions fighting for territories backed by a score of foreign players. The script for war as with Iraq in 2003 originated with Zionist partisans with Israeli interests in mind. From Oded Yinon to the Israeli "Clean Break" papers, the Zionist regime made it very clear what their intentions were in Iraq and Syria. American mass media had a uniform message that "Assad must go" for years until the Trump administration took power. In Iraq, after the US made it clear that they did not back Kurdish secession and would not give them air support, the Iraqi forces chased out the Peshmerga in a mere 36hrs. The world must know that the US was dragged into these conflicts via Israeli pressure and deceptions.

Aleppo's Fall

Before Aleppo's fall, Syrian/Norwegian director Nizam Najar explores the inside of the war. To him one of the reasons the rebellion has failed, stems from the Syrian society itself.

Kurdistan : De Gré Ou De Force

Journey to the heart of the conflict between Kurdistan and the armed group Islamic State. This region that has been neglected and ignored for ages is now one of the key destinations for refugees in the region. This medium-length documentary show the spectator the different groups and communities that are either fighting or residing in the Kurd area.

Groot's Pursuit

Groot investigates a spooky noise that’s been haunting the Quadrant, which leads to an intense dance off.

Sonic Youth: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui (April 12, 2003)

Filmed April 12, 2003 at a benefit concert held at and for The Anthology Film Archives, the international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of avant-garde and independent cinema. In addition to screening films for the public, AFA houses a film museum, research library and art gallery. The event, which raised money for the Archives and celebrated the life and work of avant-garde film maker Stan Brakhage, featured Sonic Youth providing an improvised instrumental collaboration with silent Brakhage’s films. The band performed with drummer/percussionist Tim Barnes (Essex Green, Jukeboxer, Silver Jews).

Men in Black II

Kay and Jay reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement – protecting Earth from the scum of the universe. It's been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Now it's a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay – who not only has absolutely no memory of his time spent with the MIB, but is also the only living person left with the expertise to save the galaxy – to reunite with the MIB before the earth submits to ultimate destruction.

Fantozzi in Heaven

One by one, with a sweet but inexorable rate, Ugo's colleagues, go to a better life. When Ugo is attending at one of the innumerable funerals, he and the priest remain involved in an accident. The doctor says that Ugo as only one week left to live

Another Stakeout

A pair of immature detectives are joined by a pesky assistant district attorney in staking out a lakeside home where an important Mafia trial witness is believed to be heading.

Python 2

A man, his business partner, and his wife are enlisted to transport an unknown object from a Russian military base, only to discover that the object is a giant, genetically-altered python.

Spider-Man 3

The seemingly invincible Spider-Man goes up against an all-new crop of villains—including the shape-shifting Sandman. While Spider-Man’s superpowers are altered by an alien organism, his alter ego, Peter Parker, deals with nemesis Eddie Brock and also gets caught up in a love triangle.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

Homicidal maniac Jason returns from the grave to cause more bloody mayhem. Young Tommy may have escaped from Crystal Lake, but he’s still haunted by the gruesome events that happened there. When gory murders start happening at the secluded halfway house for troubled teens where he now lives, it seems like his nightmarish nemesis, Jason, is back for more sadistic slaughters.

Start-Up

Two boys are becoming real adults during a turbulent time as they experience a world that doesn't go their way.

Magnum Opus

Groot sets out to paint a family portrait of himself and the Guardians, only to discover just how messy the artistic process can be.

X-Man

Abstract painting and modern music create an animated soundscape. A succession of tangled, non-figurative images is punctuated by playful character animation.

Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill

In a night of killer comedy, Bill Burr hosts a showcase of his most raucous stand-up comic pals as they riff on everything from COVID to Michael Jackson.

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X: The Day of Σ

The year is 21XX. Reploids are commonplace now, after Dr. Cain rediscovered Dr. Light's old lab and based several designs off of Dr. Light's original, called "Mega Man X". X, meanwhile, has joined the Maverick Hunters, and works with unit leader Zero under the command of Commander Sigma. It is their job to terminate reploids who have become violent.

The Confidence Man JP – Episode of the Princess –

Set in Langkawi, Malaysia, professional scammers Dako (Masami Nagasawa), Boku-chan (Masahiro Higashide), and Richard (Fumiyo Kohinata) target the Fuu Family for their next heist. Raymond Fuu, who was the head of the Fuu Family, passed away and he left behind 10 trillion yen. Dako, Boku-chan and Richard scheme to gain the inordinate inheritance. --asianwiki

French Fried Vacation 2

In this sequel to Les Bronzes (1978) summer has passed, but that doesn't mean the fun has to end for Bernard, Nathalie, Gigi, Jerome, Popeye, Jean-Claude, and Christiane.

El Lemby

El-Limby lives in a decrepit neighborhood with his mother Faransa and he develops feelings for his neighbor. However, her father objects to their marriage, and El-Limby's mother encourages him to find a job to provide for his family-to-be.

Scooby-Doo! and the Pirates

Splash into action with seafaring sleuths Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang as they collide with a mystery ship and try to uncover clues from a vanished crew in Hassle in the Castle! Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are then captured by Redbeard the Pirate in Go Away Ghost Ship. Zoinks! If the case isn’t solved soon, somebody’s going to walk the plank! And when Scooby and friends get lost in a swamp, they meet up with the Harlem Globetrotters and Redbeard the Pirate – again! – for a swashbuckling adventure worth a treasure chest full of Scooby Snax!

WrestleMania 41: Sunday

John Cena vies for his record 17th World Title when he challenges Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Doraemon: Nobita's Little Star Wars

Nobita helps Doraemon to create a space movie. After Dekisugi fails to help them, the duo rope in Shizuka, who prefers to make a film about dolls.