International Competition

Return to Homs

Talal Derki
Screening time  
25.02. / Tuesday, 20:00 - 22:00 Theatre 5  
26.02. / Wednesday, 14:00 - 16:00 Theatre 4  
28.02. / Friday, 22:00 - 00:00 Theatre 2  
Filmed over three years in Homs, Syria, the film accompanies two outstanding young men from the time they are dreaming of freedom and defending pacifism.

Filmed over three years in Homs, Syria, the film accompanies two outstanding young men from the time they are dreaming of freedom and defending pacifism, to the time when choices are forced to be different. Basset, a 19-year-old national football team goalkeeper, turning into an iconic demonstration leader and singer, then, becoming a fighter and Ossama, a 24-year-old renowned citizen-cameraman who is critical, pacifist, and ironic, as his views change till he is detained by the regime's security forces. It is the story of a city, which the world heard of a lot, but never really got close to. Return to Homs is a modern times epic of youth in war, and of forced choices.

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Talal Derki

Talal Derki was born in Damascus and is based in Berlin since 2014. He studied film directing in Athens and worked as an assistant director for many feature lm productions. His feature documentary Return To Homs (2013, screened at 2014 ZagrebDox) has won the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize in 2014. That same year, he was also a member of the international Jury at IDFA. This year he again takes top doc prize at Sundance with his lm Of Fathers and Sons (2017) that will be screened at this year’s ZagrebDox International Competition.

General sponsor

Return to Homs

Germany, Syrian Arab Republic
2013, 87', DCP

Directed by:
Talal Derki

Screenplay by:
Talal Derki

Cinematography:
Kahtan Hassoun, Ossama al Homsi, Talal Derki

Edited by:
Anne Fabini

Producers:
Orwa Nyrabia, Hans Robert Eisenhauer

Produced by:
Proaction Film, Ventana-Film

Festivals & Awards:

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam – IDFA 2013; Sundance Film Festival 2014 –World Cinema Grand Jury Prize