(MENAFN- Arab Times) ISTANBUL March 5 (RTRS): With Syria''s civil war spilling across its borders and Islamic State militants beheading captives in their self-declared caliphate it is little wonder Syrian movies have had pride of a place at an independent film festival in Turkey.
One of them ''Silvered Water Syria Self-Portrait'' shown at the Cannes Film Festival last year was pieced together by exiled Syrian filmmaker Ossama Mohammed from YouTube videos. It shows people being shot and bleeding to death not surprising in a film about a civil war. By contrast the documentary ''Our Terrible Country'' filmed in Syria and shown at this week''s ''!F'' festival in Istanbul has just one violent scene a shootout between rebels and snipers loyal to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Deliberate ''No blood no torture that was deliberate'' Ziad Homsi a rebel-turned filmmaker who made the movie with co-director Mohammad Ali Atassi said as he walked near Istanbul''s Taksim Square. ''As Syrian people we have been humiliated enough. Just look at the destruction and that will make you ask about those who once who lived here.'' Instead ''Our Terrible Country'' is an almost philosophical attempt to answer the question: ''What has become of our native land?'' ''Is it possible that lot came because of us?'' Homsi 25 says in the film. He was referring to the Islamist insurgents who have taken over large parts of Syria and neighboring Iraq during years of fighting between Assad''s forces and rebels trying to overthrow him in a civil war that has killed 200000 people. Shot in 2013 the film depicts the soul-searching that Homsi and his travel companion Yassin al-Haj Saleh a Syrian dissident and writer during a 19-day journey to Raqqa Saleh''s hometown. They traveled in extreme heat and in constant fear of being targeted by various Islamist groups. ''The Syria we want won''t emerge under these people. They''re destroying Syria just like the regime'' Homsi says in the film. As the film draws to a close the two sit at a restaurant in Istanbul and talk of their yearning for families trapped in Syria. They question the revolution and where they belong and are dismayed about their fading chances of returning. ''Even though it resembles a slaughterhouse today this is our country and we have no other. And I know that no country will be kinder to us than this terrible country'' Saleh says. ''Hacksaw Ridge'' the tale of wartime heroism that marks Mel Gibson''s return to directing is poised to shoot in Australia. Australian media have reported that the production will shoot in one of three Australian states: Queensland New South Wales or Victoria. Producer Bill Mechanic told Variety that the destinations have not yet been pinned down. ''We are absolutely targeted to shoot in Australia however we haven''t yet scouted locations so are unsure which states we''ll make use of. Most likely more than one of the three but we haven''t even begun to narrow the process yet'' Mechanic said. The film is based on the life of Desmond T. Doss the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving dozens of soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa while serving as a medic. Andrew Garfield is set to portray Doss who was a Seventh Day Adventist and received two Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts. Production is by David Permut and Mechanic with Cross Creek Pictures'' Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson. ''Hacksaw Ridge'' would be Gibson''s first film as director since 2006''s ''Apocalypto'' and since controversies in his personal life disrupted his Hollywood career. Gibson was born in New York State but is widely assumed to be an Australian native having moved to Sydney as a child. He enjoyed his first film industry successes with key roles in classic Australian titles including the ''Mad Max'' trilogy and ''Gallipoli.'' The project was one of the few stand out sales pre-sales titles at last month''s European Film Market in Berlin. Headline deals were closed by IM Global in major markets with Universum (Germany) Andrea Leone (Italy) DeaPlaneta (Spain) Mis Label (Scandinavia) and Pancinema (Korea). Sun Distribution has snatched up rights to Mexico Brazil and Latin American pay-TV and most although not all the rest of Latin America. A North American deal has yet to be sealed. Mechanic is currently in advanced production on two other major films ''The Moon And The Sun'' and that have shot ''Down Under'' and taken advantage of incentives from local state and federal government agencies. The weakening of the Australian dollar against the US currency in the past 18 months has also made Australia an increasingly popular filming choice for Hollywood and major indie titles. Mechanic''s Gallic-themed mermaid fantasy ''The Moon And The Sun'' directed by Sean McNamara scripted by Ron Bass and starring Pierce Brosnan William Hurt and China''s Fan Bingbing is now in post-production after shooting in France and the Docklands Studios in Melbourne. Thriller ''2.22'' directed by Paul Currie and starring Teresa Palmer and Sam Reid is now shooting. It has made use of locations in New South Wales and the Fox Studios in Sydney. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is the latest high-profile name to partner with Netflix Inc as he and his production company Appian Way will produce a documentary and a series that will premiere exclusively on the digital streaming service the company said on Wednesday. DiCaprio who worked with Netflix on the Oscar-nominated documentary ''Virunga'' about the Democratic Republic of Congo''s rare mountain gorillas will act as a producer or executive producer for the projects that will focus on the environment and conservation. ''This partnership is a natural extension of our incredible relationship with Leo on ''Virunga'''' Ted Sarandos Netflix''s chief content officer said in a statement. The deal with DiCaprio 40 pushes Netflix which produces the Emmy-winning political thriller ''House of Cards'' and the comedy-drama ''Orange Is the New Black'' further into original programming in an effort to gain a larger audience. DiCaprio a best actor Oscar nominee for ''The Wolf of Wall Street'' joins several stars who have entered deals with Netflix. In October the company announced that comedian and actor Adam Sandler will star in and produce four films that will be shown exclusively on the service which has more than 57 million members in 50 countries. The company also completed a two-season order for ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' a comedy by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock that is due to premiere on Netflix this month. Brothers Mark and Jay Duplass best known for ''Jeff Who Lives at Home'' have also inked an agreement to make four films exclusively for the service. But they also have an option to show them in movie theaters first.
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