City of Ghosts

Once Raqqa falls to Islamic State, no news comes out of the city. A few people decide to change that: ordinary residents filming on mobile phones and uploading, with their names hidden. What they set up is called Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently. The documentary follows them, first from inside the city, then as they escape to Turkey and on to Germany. The real subject is not courage but what exile is like. The members are safe in Europe while their relatives are still in Raqqa, and it is the relatives who pay for every image published. One member's father is executed on film by Islamic State and the video released, and the documentary records the man having to watch it. Matthew Heineman directed and shot it himself. The second half takes place in Germany, where another threat appears: far-right demonstrations and hostility towards refugees. Who it is for: anyone interested in conflict-zone journalism and the cost of producing news. Who it is not for: anyone unable to watch execution footage. The film uses sections of Islamic State propaganda video, the pace is heavy, and the last part offers no hope.