ONE DAY IN ALEPPO

Inspired by questions that followed screenings of Last Men in Aleppo — What about the civilians living alongside the White Helmets? What is life like for them? How do they live under such extreme conditions? Is there a life at all? — this short documentary (produced by Last Men in Aleppo director Feras Fayyad) is a portrait of ordinary people's lives as they try to live through a normal day in the besieged city of Aleppo.

Favoring sounds and images over words, One Day in Aleppo follows various men, women, and children, and in so doing alternates between intimacy and tension. No news report has yet captured how it must truly feel to live on these streets, which Fayyad and director Ali Alibrahim present in its many dimensions: we see children playing, car trips down a city street, the preparation of bread — standard living that never feels at ease, always informed by a fear of death hanging in the air.

Themes emerge, and what's most shocking is their universality: the relationship between parent and child, the dignity of continuing tradition in the face of horror. Compact, concise and deeply resonant, One Day In Aleppo is an indispensable documentary about the crisis in Syria.

Winner, Jury Special Mention, Visions du Reel
Winner, Best Documentary Short, London Independent Film Awards
Winner, Grand Jury Special Mention, Message to Men International Film Festival
Winner, Best International Documentary Short Film, Shorts Mexico
Winner, PerSo Short Award, PerSO Film Festival
Winner, Audience Award, Best International Short Film, Festival de Cine de Madrid
Official Selection, International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam

"Highly recommended. All libraries with an audience of high school and adult should consider." - Educational Media Reviews Online