Movie

A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile

2015 · 84 min

A slow-burning documentary that pulls you into a web of online romance and international intrigue, leaving a lingering sense of unease.

Directed by: Sophie Deraspe
Genres: Documentary
Starring: Nilay Olçay, Sandra Bagaria, Ali Abunimah

Tagline: Sign In For Love And Revolution
Overview: There is no indication that this typical online flirtation between two strangers would turn into a case of shocking international intrigue. For months, Sandra in Montreal and Amina, a Syrian-American, bond romantically and intellectually. Encouraged by Sandra, Amina launches a blog called "A Gay Girl in Damascus," representing a marginalized voice in the Middle East on politics, religion, and sexuality. Rapidly garnering worldwide attention, Amina becomes something of a star blogger. But when Syria enters the Arab uprising of 2011, Sandra receives word that Amina has been kidnapped, and soon the search for Amina becomes a global concern and an even larger mystery to solve.

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Directed by: Sophie Deraspe
Genres: Documentary
Starring: Nilay Olçay, Sandra Bagaria, Ali Abunimah

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: tensestrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
satiricalstrength 1 of 3
earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
deception
love
politics
media
Places: big city
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
true story
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence none
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	0
Humour	2
Realism	9
Romance	4
Tension	6
Darkness	5
Complexity	7
Emotional weight	7

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Where to watch in the UK

Free

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Details

Genres: documentary
Directed by: Sophie Deraspe
Written by: Sophie Deraspe
Starring: Nilay Olçay, Sandra Bagaria, Ali Abunimah, Fady Atallah, Andy Carvin, Nathalie Claude, Benjamin J. Doherty, Liz Henry
Music: Sam Shalabi
Runtime: 84 min
Country: Canada
Languages: Arabic, English, French

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A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile

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