Of Fathers and Sons Following a Radical Islamist Family in Syria
In this Oscar-nominated documentary, filmmaker Talal Derki traveled to Syria where he gained the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years.
His camera focuses primarily on the children, providing an extremely rare insight into what it means to grow up with a father whose only dream is to establish an Islamic caliphate. Osama and his brother Ayman both love and admire their father and obey his words, but while Osama seems content to follow the path of Jihad, Ayman wants to go back to school.
OF FATHERS AND SONS is a work of unparalleled intimacy that captures the chilling moment when childhood dies and jihadism is born.
Nominated for a 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Nominated for Best Documentary at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
"Clear, vivid and unshakeable. Sincerely eye-opening in its portrayal of inherited Islamist fervor." - Guy Lodge, Variety
Running Time
99 mins
Year
2018
Kanopy ID
6329431
Filmmakers
Features
Languages
Subjects
Show More
Related videos
Fathers
Three dramatic shorts from Tanzania, Nigeria and Ethiopia take a critical look at the relationship between fathers and their children in contemporary Africa.
The Other F Word - Punk Rock Fathers
What happens when a generation's ultimate anti-authoritarians (punk rockers) become society's ultimate authorities - dads? With a large chorus of Punk Rock's leading men - Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, Rise Against's Tim McIlrath- The Other F Word follows, Jim Lindberg, 20-year veteran of skate punk band,…
Apuda - A Father and Son Living in a Remote Chinese Village
This film is an intimate portrait of the daily life of a man and his son. Apuda is nearing middle age but his mind is like that of a child. He lives with his father, who has great love for his son born with intellectual disabilities. Summer arrives and the…
Finding Tatanka - A Bay Area Activist and His Family
Kit Bricca was a leader of the Bay Area protest movements of the 1960s and 70s with a fierce passion for social justice, but found the transition from activist to breadwinner a challenging one. In this moving, psychologically complex documentary, filmmaker Jacob Bricca follows the extraordinary journey of his father…
The Beekeeper and His Son - Portrait of a Family Business in China
The widening gap between generations in China today is at the heart of this deeply resonant documentary about a son, recently returned from the city, trying to modernize his aging father's beekeeping business.
Still in his early twenties and eager to provide support for his parents, Maofu brings has thoughts…
Blind Faith - A Story of Blindness, Trust, & Family
This documentary follows the stirring personal journey, both intimate and universal, of a man coming to terms with his disability and struggling with the roles of father, husband, and successful entrepreneur, breaking through the myths of blindness and broadening our understanding of the complex hidden realities facing the blind community.…
Inside Assad's Syria
For weeks, the world's eyes have been fixed on the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing war-torn Syria for Europe. But what is life like for those left behind? Correspondent Martin Smith goes "Inside Assad's Syria" to report from government-controlled areas as war rages, with on-the-ground reporting and firsthand accounts…
Last Men in Aleppo - The White Helmet Heroes Saving Lives in Syria
2018 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, Syrian filmmaker Feras Fayyad's breathtaking work - a searing example of boots-on-the-ground reportage - follows the efforts of the internationally recognized White Helmets; ordinary citizens who are the first to rush towards military strikes in the hope of saving lives.
Winner of…
Resistance Is Life - Life in a Syrian Refugee Camp
From a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border, an 8-year-old girl named Evlin characterizes the resilience of her hometown of Kobane against ISIS militants. In the midst of the tragic war in Syria, Evlin's story provides hope.
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the San Francisco DocFest.…
Syria: Behind the Lines
In the rural heartland of Syria's countryside, the bloody uprising against President Bashar Al Assad has taken a terrifying turn. In this highly charged documentary, award-winning filmmaker Olly Lambert lives on both sides of Syria's sectarian FRONTLINE, witnessing the devastating effect of a religious feud that, regardless of the outcome…
Daddy Don't Go - The Everyday Struggles of Disadvantaged Fathers
This film captures two years in the lives of four disadvantaged fathers in New York City as they fight to defy the odds against them.
Alex is a single father who lives with his toddler son in a decaying Harlem shelter. Nelson is a former Latin King gang member and…
The Shebabs of Yarmouk - Young Palestinian Refugees
On the brink of the Syrian uprising, in the refugee camp of Yarmouk, the Shebabs, a young close-knit collective of third-generation Palestinian refugees, are preparing for a future of profound uncertainty. Now facing adulthood, they possess a genuine thirst for life in constant confrontation with the harsh realities of the…
Comments (23)
I gave this about a half hour to show a depiction of an ideology that touted a specific dogma and subsequent destruction. Instead what I saw were cliches with visual referencing of carnage: the killed bird and meal with an animal carcass being ripped apart. While this is not my belief ...Read more
I gave this about a half hour to show a depiction of an ideology that touted a specific dogma and subsequent destruction. Instead what I saw were cliches with visual referencing of carnage: the killed bird and meal with an animal carcass being ripped apart. While this is not my belief system, I think we all know and would agree that this behavior is a misinterpretation of the original tenants and doctrine and hopefully in the process people don't glaze generally over the collective group and assume they are members of this minority. Maybe I'll try it again at another time. 'City of Ghosts" was much more interesting in showing the rise of this ideology, as well as the the textural variances and realities within Islam.
Read lessthis allah dude they keep talking about seems like a pretty chill, peace loving guy
My thoughts exactly Nicholas.
Love and peace will come only through Jesus Christ .Believe in him and follow him ! He is the prince of peace and the savior for all mankind .
These people think the same thing as you, but call it by a different name. In your eyes, if everyone accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, the world would finally know peace. In their eyes, if the world finally believed as they do, then the world would finally know peace. Thinking that one ...Read more
These people think the same thing as you, but call it by a different name. In your eyes, if everyone accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, the world would finally know peace. In their eyes, if the world finally believed as they do, then the world would finally know peace. Thinking that one religion, one belief system, is the sole truth is not the path to peace. Religion is the real evil, for convincing people that other humans are lesser for no reason but the name we call our deity.
Read lessI wholeheartedly agree with you Nicholas.
Indeed
I don’t know what to say as a HUMAN. Why do we have to hate each other, fight each other then kill each other just because we are HUMAN of different races, thoughts, dreams or interests? Are the conflicts only from our so-called leaders who are making use people to fight actually for their ...Read more
I don’t know what to say as a HUMAN. Why do we have to hate each other, fight each other then kill each other just because we are HUMAN of different races, thoughts, dreams or interests? Are the conflicts only from our so-called leaders who are making use people to fight actually for their own interests? I feel really sorry when his foot got blown away when he tries to clear his land. But it is more than sorry that I can tell when his kids have to be trained as soldiers. Let the future judge us.
Read lessbrilliant and so sad.... i loved the moment the brother was telling the story about the creatures from out of space that wanted to be taught love and joy.. :)
That hit me too. What a film.
<3
owo
Wow! This film will complicate your world view, regardless of your politics. And regardless of your religion, shows the extreme danger when we feel we alone hold the 'truth'.
Saddening. Poor kids.
Phenomenal. What an extraordinary picture of the human condition. Brilliant documentary.
Listen. I've been around a Very long time. .I think I know something or other about today's political climate. And THIS MOVIE, Of Fathers And Sons is VERY hard to watch. It has to do with the relationships that we have with our family and with our country and god given duties. Personally, I ...Read more
Listen. I've been around a Very long time. .I think I know something or other about today's political climate. And THIS MOVIE, Of Fathers And Sons is VERY hard to watch. It has to do with the relationships that we have with our family and with our country and god given duties. Personally, I kept comparing the characters in this film to my own relationship with my father, a great man, rest in peace. When he was only 72 he left this world with nothing but Stella. When we removed the struvite crystals from her stomach she had officially stopped grieving and continued to be the most loving cat we've ever known.
Read lessFascinating, brave documentary. Currently short-listed for Academy Award nomination this year. Well-deserved and should be a real contender.
Without a doubt one of the best documentaries to come out of Syria since the conflict started. Mandatory watching for those who want to understand jihad and life within ISIS' caliphate. The focus on the children makes absolute sense, and the long term perspective -following the family for a ...Read more
Without a doubt one of the best documentaries to come out of Syria since the conflict started. Mandatory watching for those who want to understand jihad and life within ISIS' caliphate. The focus on the children makes absolute sense, and the long term perspective -following the family for a couple of years, reveals elements that would otherwise remain concealed. 5 stars.
Read lessI find it so sad these children are led by extreme fundamentalists. That is never good for children or society.
This was absolutely shocking and riveting. The choice to center it around the children and the father made it so humane and yet more disturbing. A real piece of work.
This documentary was an awe shocking cold hard truth about other peoples war, it starts out about a man who believes his religions faith is the right one for all of his fellow countrymen, then ends with him losing his foot and his begotten minor Son for which he felt was right to sacrifice to ...Read more
This documentary was an awe shocking cold hard truth about other peoples war, it starts out about a man who believes his religions faith is the right one for all of his fellow countrymen, then ends with him losing his foot and his begotten minor Son for which he felt was right to sacrifice to his radical miltary! Let the Cartel and these guys fight it out, let's see who wins!
Read lessI feel for them... but at least now I feel less guilty for fighting that ideology.
They are wanting a world war yet have no modern weapons... no nukes at all!
And the women don't matter!