Syria submits 'The Other Side of the Sun' as Oscar entry, its first since Assad's fall
Syria has chosen Tawfik Sabouni's Saydnaya prison documentary 'The Other Side of the Sun' as its entry for Best International Feature at the 99th Academy Awards. It is the country's first submission since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Syria has submitted Tawfik Sabouni's documentary The Other Side of the Sun as its candidate for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards. DeadlineN “Syria has submitted Tawfik Sabouni’s The Other Side of the Sun as its candidate for the Best International Feature Film category” Read at Deadline ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “has been selected as Syria’s submission for the best international feature film Oscar at the 99th Academy Awards” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Mixed · 2It is the country's first submission since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024, and Deadline notes a transitional government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa was established after a near 14-year civil war. DeadlineN “It is the first film submitted by Syria since the ousting of dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024” Read at Deadline ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “The decision marks the country’s first entry since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Mixed · 2The choice was made by Syria's newly formed Oscar committee, overseen by the General Organization for Cinema and accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Deadline says it is the committee's first selection. DeadlineN “first selection made by the newly established Syrian Oscar committee overseen by the General Organization for Cinema” Read at Deadline ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “decided by Syria’s newly formed committee accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Centre · 1The film is set in Saydnaya prison, which Deadline describes as known as the 'Human Slaughterhouse', where an estimated 30,000 people were killed under Assad and tens of thousands more were held on sham charges and tortured. DeadlineN “known as the ‘Human Slaughterhouse’, where 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the Assad Regime” Read at Deadline ↗ Mixed · 2Sabouni, who was himself imprisoned in Saydnaya, returned to the prison after the regime fell with four other survivors to revisit their detention, and the film blends testimony with reenactment. The Hollywood ReporterLC “director Sabouni returned to Saydnaya Prison with four fellow survivors to retrace the places and experiences” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ DeadlineN “Through reenactment, the film brings their memories and testimonies to the screen” Read at Deadline ↗ Left · 1The General Organisation for Cinema said the selection comes 'within a distinctive cinematic and humanitarian context' and that the film explores imprisonment in Saydnaya, 'one of the most prominent detention sites associated with Syria's recent history and collective memory'. The Hollywood ReporterLC ““The selection of The Other Side of the Sun comes within a distinctive cinematic and humanitarian context,” the country’s General Organisation for Cinema said.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Mixed · 2Sabouni said he was 'deeply happy and moved', called the selection 'an immense personal and collective victory', and said it belongs above all to those who died in Assad's prisons. DeadlineN “I am deeply happy and moved by this selection.” Read at Deadline ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “It is to them, above all, that this selection belongs.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Mixed · 2The film premiered in the Berlinale's Panorama section this year and won the Jury Award, the FIPRESCI Award and the Audience Award in the Arab Documentary Feature Competition at the Amman International Film Festival. DeadlineN “premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale earlier this year” Read at Deadline ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “which premiered at Berlin” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Mixed · 2It is produced by Dérives (Belgium), Habilis Productions (France) and Clin d'Oeil Films (Belgium); Andana Films handles worldwide sales and announced that Icarus Films has acquired U.S. rights. DeadlineN “The film is produced by Dérives (Belgium), Habilis Productions (France) and Clin d’Oeil Films (Belgium)” Read at Deadline ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “Icarus Films has acquired U.S. rights to the film” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Left · 1Syria has never been nominated for the international Oscar. The Academy will announce a 15-film shortlist on Dec. 15 and the five nominees on Jan. 21, 2027, with the ceremony on March 14, 2027. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Syria has never been nominated for the international Oscar.”“The five nominees will be announced Jan. 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Trade-press industry report leading with the film's selection and the Icarus Films U.S. rights deal, framed as a new chapter for Syria in international awards.
- Emphasis
- Business angle (U.S. rights acquisition), the committee's accreditation and the awards calendar.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not give Saydnaya death-toll estimates, the Amman festival awards or the production companies.
- Charged language
- “Assad regime”
- For example
-
“underscoring a new chapter in the country’s participation in the international awards landscape” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Icarus Films has acquired U.S. rights to the film” — The Hollywood Reporter
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Trade-press report leading with the political context: the first post-Assad entry and the prison's history.
- Emphasis
- Saydnaya's scale of killing and torture, the transitional government, festival awards and production credits.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the Icarus Films U.S. rights deal or the awards calendar.
- Charged language
- “Human Slaughterhouse”“dictator Bashar al-Assad”“sham charges”
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- The Other Side of the Sun, directed by Tawfik Sabouni, is Syria's submission for Best International Feature at the 99th Academy Awards.
- It is Syria's first Oscar submission since Assad fell in December 2024.
- The film is about Saydnaya Prison and draws on Sabouni's own imprisonment and that of four other survivors.
- The film premiered at the Berlinale and Andana Films handles international sales.
Syria place
Through its General Organisation for Cinema, Syria presents the selection as coming in a 'distinctive cinematic and humanitarian context' and as part of cinema documenting lived experience and collective memory.
““The selection of The Other Side of the Sun comes within a distinctive cinematic and humanitarian context,” the country’s General Organisation for Cinema said.” — The Hollywood Reporter
99th Academy Awards event
The Academy will announce the 15-film shortlist on Dec. 15, nominees on Jan. 21, 2027, and hold the ceremony on March 14, 2027.
“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will unveil the 15 films on the best international feature film shortlist on Dec. 15.” — The Hollywood Reporter
Left2 articles
-
Neutral Industry news item combining the Oscar selection, the Icarus U.S. deal and key dates.
-
Centre1 article
-
Sympathetic Places the selection in the context of Assad-era atrocities at Saydnaya and the post-war transition.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 5 Oct 14:00 First DeadlineN Oscars: Syria Selects Saydnaya Prison Hybrid Doc ‘The Other Side Of The Sun’ In First Post-Assad Entry
- 5 Oct 14:00 First The Hollywood ReporterLC Oscars: Syria Picks ‘The Other Side of the Sun’ as Best Int’l Feature Submission, Icarus Takes Doc for U.S.
- 5 Oct 15:04 +1h 4m VarietyLC Oscars: Syria Selects Doc ‘The Other Side of the Sun’ for International Feature Race, Marking First Entry Since Fall of Assad Regime
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.