| The Return to Homs | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Talal Derki |
| Written by | Talal Derki |
| Produced by | Orwa Nyrabia Hans Robert Eisenhauer Diana El Jeiroudi |
| Cinematography | Talal Derki Ossama al Homsi Kahtan Hassoun Orwa Nyrabia |
| Edited by | Anne Fabini |
Production companies | Proaction Film Ventana Films |
| Distributed by | Journeyman Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Countries | Syria Germany |
| Language | Arabic |
The Return to Homs (Arabic:العودة إلى حمص;German:Homs - Ein zerstörter Traum,lit. 'Homs: A Shattered Dream') is a 2013 Syrian-Germandocumentary film written and directed byTalal Derki.[1][2] It is produced byOrwa Nyrabia and Hans Robert Eisenhauer whileDiana El Jeiroudi served as the associate producer.[3] The film premiered in-competition at the 2013International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam on November 20, 2013, as the opening film of the festival.[4][5]
The film also premiered in-competition in theWorld Cinema Documentary Competition at2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014.[6] It won theGrand Jury Prize award at the festival.[7][8]
After its premiere at theSundance Film Festival,Journeyman Pictures acquired the worldwide distribution rights of the film. The film's TV rights has been previously sold to ARTE for France and Germany,NHK for Japan,RTS for Switzerland,SVT for Sweden, andRadio Canada.[9][10]
It also served as the closing film at 2014Human Rights Film Festival on March 28, 2014.[11][12]
In the middle ofSyrian Civil War, the film follows, 19-year-old national football team goalkeeper,Abdul Baset al-Sarout and 24-year-old Ossama, his media activist and journalist friend, their daily life in the city ofHoms which has become a bombed-out ghost town by government forces. Their homes, lives and dreams destroyed and in order to gain freedom, they are forced to change course Baset and Ossama turned from peaceful protesters into rebel insurgents.
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The Return to Homs received mostly positive reviews upon its premiere at the2014 Sundance Film Festival. Peter Debruge ofVariety, said in his review that "Talal Derki’s “Return to Homs” represents a remarkable achievement in immersive conflict-zone filmmaking, fearlessly taking auds to the front lines of the Syrian civil war and embedding them alongside soccer star turned resistance leaderAbdul Baset al-Sarout, a charismatic nonviolent protester pushed into taking up arms against the oppressive regime."[13]
Neil Young in his review forThe Hollywood Reporter called the film "An unflinching, rousing piece of civil-war reportage, literally dispatched from the conflict's front lines."[14]
Eric Kohn fromIndiewire praised the film by saying that ""Return to Homs" reveals a far more frenzied, visceral struggle that a handful of driven warriors continue to endure at all costs. With its climactic freeze frame, Derki captures the men's uneasy combination of desperation and triumph in a single image: With nowhere left to go, they still push ahead."[15]
While, Dan Fienberg ofHitFix grade the film B+ and said that "There are shades of Kubrick to the long, uninterrupted shots that take us through bombed out buildings, a labyrinth of ruins that still have poignant ties to our heroes."[16]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam | Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary | Talal Derki | Nominated[4] |
| 2014 | Sundance Film Festival | World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary | Talal Derki | Won[7][8] |
| San Francisco International Film Festival | Golden Gate Award - Best Documentary Feature | Talal Derki | Nominated | |
| Golden Gate Award - Special Jury Recognition | Talal Derki | Won[17] | ||
| Kraków Film Festival | Cracow Students Jury Award - Documentary Competition | Talal Derki | Won[18] | |
| Silver Horn - Best Feature-Length Documentary | Talal Derki | Won[18] |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Sundance Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary 2014 | Succeeded by |
