More than two dozen leading film associations called early Friday for the immediate release of Syrian filmmaker and festival director Owra Nyrabia, who has been missing since Aug. 23.
The statement was signed by film organizations including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the International Documentary Association, representing tens of thousands of leading filmmakers working in the U.S. and abroad.
Nyrabia (pictured with his wife Diana El-Jeiroudi at the Sarajevo film festival in July) was detained by authorities in Damascus on August 23rd -- his whereabouts remain unknown. He was believed to have been detained by Syrian security services as he prepared to board a flight from Damascus to Cairo.
On Thursday, the Toronto Film Festival released a statement expressing concern about the filmmaker.
“Nyrabia belongs to the emerging generation of Syrian filmmakers passionate about world cinema and passionate about freedom. We are extremely concerned by his arrest — filmmakers must be allowed to express themselves through their films, without fear of reprisal,” the festival release said.
Nyrabia's wife, Diana El-Jeiroudi, issued a statement last week saying she had had no contact with him and had heard from the airline that he did not board the plane. Nyrabia and his wife formed the first independent production company in Syria and founded Dox Box, a festival that brought international documentaries to Syria.
The organizations released this statement:
“Syrian filmmaker and festival director Orwa Nyrabia has been missing since Thursday, August 23 after attempting travel from the Damascus International Airport. Nyrabia works as a film producer and is one of the founders of the DOX BOX International Documentary Film Festival held in Syria. Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera, IDFA, Screen International, RealScreen and many other film organizations have covered the news of Orwa’s disappearance over the last few days.
“We, the undersigned, represent tens of thousands of leading filmmakers working around the world. As such, we believe that the artistry and power of film is vital to societies and cultures globally. We strongly defend the right of filmmakers everywhere to practice their art and bring humanity closer together through the telling of our shared stories.
"Orwa Nyrabia is not only a celebrated filmmaker, but also an artist who has devoted his life to bringing people and cultures together through film. Although Orwa is now being held in darkness somewhere, the filmmaking world is paying attention will continue to shine a light on him until he is safely reunited with his family. We call for his immediate return.
The following groups signed the statement:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
BRITDOC Foundation
The D-Word
DOC NYC
Docs in Progress
The Documentary Center, George Washington University
European Documentary Network
Film Independent
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
IFP
Independent Lens
International Documentary Association
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
ITVS
Kartemquin Films
POV
Producers Guild of America
San Francisco Film Society
The Scottish Documentary Institute
Stranger Than Fiction
Sundance Institute
Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Institute
True/False Film Fest
Women Make Movies
Writers Guild of America, West
SEE ALSO: Katy Perry and Rihanna a silly couple at the VMAs >
Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
