The conflict in Syria and its bordering regions is a recurring topic of this year’s festival. Each film has given a different voice, presenting detailed close-ups to a situation that seems often so far away. Among them, THE AMINA PROFILE continues in shedding a light on the conflict. Yet it also opens up the field to a broader discussion on the role and power that the internet and the media have in broadcasting news and designating relevance or otherwise.
Set in 2011, THE AMINA PROFILE initially focuses on the internet romance between Sandra, a woman from Montreal, and Amina, an American/Syrian girl living in Damascus during the Arab uprising. Their conversations wave around disparate topics, from sexting to political discussion on the situation Amina is living through – being gay and a political activist. During their time writing to one another and becoming romantically involved, Sandra encourages Amina to open a blog, “A Gay Girl in Damascus”, using it as a platform to openly recount her daily life.
At the beginning, as it usually happens, the blog has just two followers, Sandra and Amina’s cousin. However, after a particularly moving and brave post in which Amina describes how her father defended her against the police, her blog starts to resonate on the web, becoming discussed by news outlets worldwide, starting from The Guardian.
From this point on, the story shifts. With the publicity that comes with being the face and voice of a sector of people struggling under life in Syria, Amina becomes more exposed to the regime. Her posts attract too much attention. Other political activists, already working to unveil the real situation in their countries, start to join forces with her to raise awareness. With each she becomes an easier target for the government.
THE AMINA PROFILE highlights newspapers and broadcasted news ability to desensitise…
After witnessing from afar Amina’s constant struggles to be safe, Sandra receives sudden, shocking news. After dodging numerous arrest, Amina is kidnapped by the authorities. Concerned for her lover, Sandra begins to contact political activists who shares Amina’s beliefs. Research into the kidnapping begins. What is discovered, however, is so unexpected, Sandra finds herself receiving the worst news of her life.
THE AMINA PROFILE starts as a film denouncing the horrors occurring in Syria. Halfway through, however, the tone shifts, the focus slowly moving to another deeply contemporary debate – the Internet, mass media, and the vast consequences they encompass. Director Sophie Deraspe cleverly sewes together real footage from the uprising documented and divulged by the many political and social activists, and real interviews with Sandra and all the people involved with her desperate quest to save Amina. Also included are scripted scenes shot with an actress posing as the “gay girl from Damascus”. This mix of different images traps the audience within the story. Their need to know what happened to Amina grows and grows. However, when the hoax is revealed, they are blindsided by its skydiving implications.
THE AMINA PROFILE highlights newspapers and broadcasted news ability to desensitise, bombarding them with a constant stream of gruesome coverage from red zones. And how quickly this numbness can make a events less relevant with each passing day. Deraspe’s film masterfully draws attention to just how shockingly easy it is for society to cast aside real problems only because they can’t find a way to humanely relate to them. News becomes relevant only if it has a face. A face can be exploited to make information more appetising.
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