2016 was A Syrian Love Story's year: Seeing the family from the film together on stage after a screening at a packed out Tuschinski cinema in Amsterdam was an incredibly emotional and humbling experience. Then two days later having the London premiere at the BFI was something I'll never forget. Picking up a BAFTA nomination, and receiving awards and other nominations from around the world
Whilst you are in the middle of such a long, complicated and emotional edit it's sometimes hard to know what the reaction will be or whether people will share the enthusiasm and feeling that we all had, but when the film was released in cinemas in the UK to numerous five star reviews and critical praise it was a beautiful feeling. And finally when it was broadcast on BBC1 (The first time a Storyville has ever been shown on BBC1!), seeing and hearing the reactions from the public and how it touched and caught the their imagination, it was something that none of us could have hoped for. Here are a selection of the reviews and comments:
"The Guardian ★★★★★:
Sean McAllister’s doc about a family of Syrian refugees would be compelling at any time. Now it's unmissable"
Financial Times ★★★★★:
"The deeper human truths of this documentary are here to stay"
Timeout ★★★★:
"An essential act of witnessing; a crucial conduit to understanding”
The Independent ★★★★:
"Heartbreaking portrait of a marriage unravelling"
Al Monitor:
the quintessential document of the Syrian war to date"