The Cave (2019 Syrian film)
The Cave (Arabic: الكهف) is a 2019 Syrian-Danish documentary film directed by Feras Fayyad and written by Fayyad and Alisar Hasan.[3] A companion piece to his earlier film Last Men in Aleppo,[4] the film profiles Amani Ballour, a female doctor in Ghouta who is operating a makeshift hospital nicknamed "the Cave" during the Syrian Civil War.[5] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 5, 2019.
The Cave | |
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Film poster | |
Directed by | Feras Fayyad |
Produced by | Sigrid Dyekjær Kirstine Barfod |
Written by | Alisar Hasan Feras Fayyad |
Starring | Amani Ballour |
Music by | Matthew Herbert |
Cinematography | Muhammed Khair Al Shami Ammar Sulaiman Mohammad Eyad |
Edited by | Denniz Göl Bertelsen Per K. Kirkegaard |
Production company | Danish Documentary Production Hecat Studio |
Distributed by | National Geographic Documentary Films (United States) |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | Denmark Syria |
Language | Arabic English |
Box office | $191,703[1][2] |
In an interview, Fayyad said his purpose in making the film was to create documentary evidence that could be used to seek justice for innocent victims of the civil war. "The film should put people in an uncomfortable position to look through the terrible reality around us," he said.[6]
Reception and nominations
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% with an average rating of 8.34/10, based on 62 reviews. The site's consensus states that "A hard-hitting documentary with imagery as powerful as its message, The Cave poses heartbreakingly urgent questions -- and leaves them for the viewer to answer." [7]
The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People's Choice Award for Documentaries.[8]
The Cave was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.[9]
References
- "The Cave (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- "The Cave (2019)". The Numbers. IMDb. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- Brent Lang, "With ‘The Cave,’ ‘Last Men in Aleppo’ Director Feras Fayyad Returns to Syria to Find a Hero". Variety, September 6, 2019.
- Caryn James, "'The Cave': Film Review | TIFF 2019". The Hollywood Reporter, September 5, 2019.
- Tomris Laffley, "Toronto Film Review: ‘The Cave’". Variety, September 5, 2019.
- Mac Cameron (October 28, 2019). "In a bunker hospital in Syria, a director made it 'his mission' to document the plight of innocent civilians". CBC.ca. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- The Cave (2019), retrieved January 30, 2020
- Jessica Wong, "TIFF 2019: Jojo Rabbit captures TIFF People's Choice Award". CBC News, September 15, 2019.
- "Oscars 2020 nominations: Full list of nominees including Joker, Little Women and Jojo Rabbit". Telegraph. January 13, 2020.