Last Men in Aleppo

The air is still filled with dust from demolished buildings. Hands search desperately through what is now a total ruin, moving bricks and rebars in hope of finding someone alive. We follow Khalid, Subhi, and Mahmoud, three Syrians who volunteer for the organisation known as The White Helmets. Now they are doing everything in their power to find surviors in the ruins of the battle for Aleppo, and to bring out the dead.

In the midst of all the misery and bomb raids, we also get to take part in beautiful everyday moments, such as an improvised game of street soccer or a visit to the playground. Last Men in Aleppo takes us inside the civil war in Syria, but this is not a film about war. First and foremost, it is about people caught in the turmoil of war and what they do in order to survive. This award-winning documentary is a captivating experience, and a tough watch, but a film that demands to be seen. Per Eirik Gilsvik

THE CRITICAL ROOM: SYRIA AND THE ROAD AHEAD

Before the film, Bendik Sørvig (author of "Syria - den tapte revolusjonen") and Zeina Bali (from SPACE - SYRIAN PEACE ACTION CENTER) will participate in a discussion on the current situation in Syria. What happened to the people who were displaced from Aleppo? What is happening in other parts of Syria today, and specifically in East Ghouta? How is it still possible to use siege as a tactic of warfare? What can the international community do to influence the situation? What can the Norwegian public do?

The event is a collaboration between Films From the South, Arab Film Days and Syrian Peace Action Center (SPACE).

Feras Fayyad (b. 1984) is a Syrian-born director, producer, journalist and cinematographer, now based in Copenhagen. He previously directed several shorts and documentaries, including My Escape (2015) which deals with the refugee crisis. Last Men in Aleppo won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance festival this winter, and is one of this year's most acclaimed documentaries.