A funeral procession, a demonstration, a deserted soldier – since last year images such as these have been commonplace in Al Rastan. The Syrian small town in the vicinity of Homs is among the first places where the people rose up against the Assad regime in March 2011. The authorities hit back with extreme violence. The filmmaker who documented all of this must remain anonymous. With a strong creative will and in scenes that are often surprisingly lyrical the film seeks out signs of violence and shows interviews with witnesses of the retaliatory actions. The camera always dwells upon details, shrapnel-ridden facades, shards and sunflowers – a symbol of hope that only after the bright blossom reveals its precious fruit. Andrea Kuhn

Kais is a tour guide in Jemen. When the revolution breaks out he thinks nothing of it at first except that it is bad for business, which, in any case, hasn’t been going very well. Reluctantly he leads his client, the director Sean McAllister, to what is known as Change Square, the centre of the democracy movement. It is not until he meets the demonstrators there and witnesses the shocking violence of the state apparatus against them that Kais is transformed into an assured revolutionary.
McAllister’s approach involves building a close personal relationship with his charismatic protagonist. In the process he engages with what is going on around him, incites developments and eventually with his camera becomes an active participant in the events himself. An emotional film. Andrea Kuhn