The Amina Profile
Part love story, part international thriller, and a gripping chronicle of an unprecedented media and sociological hoax, this feature documentary travels from San Francisco and Washington to Istanbul, Tel Aviv and Beirut in a quest to reveal the true identity of the person behind the popular blog A Gay Girl in Damascus. Who is this Syrian-American revolutionary who goes by the name of Amina Arraf? Not even Montrealer Sandra Bagaria, with whom Amina is carrying an online affair, seems to know for sure. As the Syrian uprising gains momentum, the blog attracts a huge following. But it’s Amina’s subsequent abduction that sparks an international outcry to free her. Telling a detective story that involves various intelligence agencies and top-tier global media, the film tells a thoroughly modern tale of technology, love and news-as-spectacle questions the ways in which people connect in today’s virtual world.
Awards and distinctions
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Best Work in the Lifelong Learning categoryInternational Educational Program Contest Japan Prize, Tokyo2016
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Grand Prix Japan PrizeInternational Educational Program Contest Japan Prize, Tokyo2016
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Best Documentary: SocietyPrix Gémeaux, Montréal2016
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Best DocumentaryLesGaiCineMad- International Lesbian Gay and Transsexual Film Festival, Madrid2015
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Best DocumentaryGAZE International LGBT Film Festival, Dublin2015
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Best Documentary FeatureTLVFest- Tel-Aviv International LGBT Film Festival, Tel Aviv2015
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Special Jury Prize for Canadian FeatureHot Docs, Toronto2015