The Amina Profile Hot Docs 2015 Canadian Premiere GAT PR Press Summary
Interviews completed: Saturday, March 14 Monday, April 13 Tuesday, April 21
Wednesday, April 22 Friday, April 24 Saturday, April 25 Monday, April 27 Tuesday, April 28
POV Sophie Deraspe Le Metropolitan Sophie Deraspe VICE Sophie Deraspe CBC Radio Canada -‐ Y a pas deux matins pareils Sophie Deraspe Toronto Film Scene Sophie Deraspe & Sandra Bagaria CBC -‐ The Current Sophie Deraspe & Sandra Bagaria Radio-‐Canada Sandra Bagaria Metro/Strictly Docs Sophie Deraspe & Sandra Bagaria Hot Docs Interview Sophie Deraspe Movies Move Me Sophie Deraspe & Sandra Bagaria All Hours Magazine Sophie Deraspe & Sandra Bagaria JAYU Podcast Sophie Deraspe & Sandra Bagaria Daily Xtra Sophie Deraspe & Sandra Bagaria CHOQ FM Sandra Bagaria
When a Syrian gay blogger 'Amina' disappears, deception is found By: Anna Maria Tremonti | April 23, 2015
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-‐current-‐for-‐april-‐23-‐2015-‐1.3045262 LISTEN 25:00 "A Gay Girl in Damascus" was the title of her blog. She was Amina Arraf, an outspoken lesbian in the Syrian capital. And at the start of the Syrian revolution, in 2011, she suddenly became the centre of international attention. Because Amina Arraf went missing. She'd been kidnapped by Syrian government forces... or so the story went. And for those close to her... or close in heart to her, it was a devastating turn of events. That includes a Montreal woman, named Sandra Bagaria, who'd chatted online with Amina and had become more than a mere acquaintance. Her story is told in the new documentary "The Amina Profile," by director Sophie Deraspe. It's showing as part of Toronto's Hot Docs Festival. • Sandra Bagaria and Sophie Deraspe joined us from Montreal. • Bayan Khatib is a Syrian-‐Canadian activist. She was in Toronto. This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar.
Hot Docs 2015: Some Like it Hot By: Matthew Hays | April 23, 2015
http://povmagazine.com/articles/view/some-‐like-‐it-‐hot Three new docs reinforce Hot Docs’s credo that truth is stranger than fiction THERE’S A REASON HOT DOCS has attained a worldwide reputation as one of the best places to see fantastic non-‐fiction filmmaking: the programming is exceptional. I’m always overwhelmed as I read their catalogue, never sure which films I’m going to manage to see and which films I’ll have to try to catch later. And 2015 is again full of rich, fascinating films that give us more evidence—like we needed any more— that truth is stranger than fiction. Here, POV talks with the directors of three standouts.
The Amina Profile Montreal-‐based filmmaker Sophie Deraspe examines this bizarre story of the Syrian conflict, online romance and fake identities, one that made headlines as the 2011 uprising broke out. In a late-‐night e-‐ mail, Montrealer Sandra Bagaria made contact with a beautiful Syrian woman, Amina Arraf, and things soon became erotic and romantic. They cyber-‐flirted, and Bagaria grew attached to her Syrian online tryst. But a longing to meet in the flesh would soon turn to anxiety, as the Syrian government began to clamp down on subversives, and Arraf, the author of the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus, was visited in her home by military police. The home invasion she recounted in her blog was rebuffed by her brave father, who defended his lesbian daughter and told the cops to get lost. And then, in a terrifying, existential moment, Arraf disappeared. She stopped blogging and no one knew where she was. Bagaria became part of an international campaign to find Arraf and to make sure she wasn’t being held by Syrian officials—a distinct possibility, given the regime’s notorious treatment of subversives.
The film leads us to this point and beyond, beautifully building up the tension—and Sam Shalabi’s amazing musical score accents that tension perfectly—as the plot keeps getting thicker, and it becomes unclear if Arraf has managed to survive her standoff with the brutal Syrian regime. The Amina Profile is brilliant, one of those documentaries that must be seen to be believed, but it’s also one of those films that’s almost impossible to write about without ruining anything. No spoilers here— and a few words of warning, don’t let anyone else spoil it for you either. Suffice it to say, things are never quite how they seem, and Deraspe’s doc morphs into a meditation on identity and meaning in the age of the Internet. Deraspe had an immediate in with Bagaria, as they were friends and knew each other as the story was unfolding. “When we thought Amina had been kidnapped, it felt like we were in a thriller,” Deraspe recalls. “It’s what I told Sandra at the time. It always felt like a movie… but when we were in the midst of it, I didn’t feel like I could ask Sandra. She was in emotional turmoil.” But later on, Bagaria changed her mind and offered to share her entire Amina archives with Deraspe. The issue of exploitation never entered Deraspe’s mind, given that “this experience proved very cathartic for Sandra. It was an ordeal, but working through it in the documentary really seemed to help her clarify things.” Deraspe says the film touches on so many issues—love, trust, betrayal, war—that it was overwhelming. But one of the main things she came away with is what a contradictory force the Internet is: “The Internet makes us very connected—in a very profound way—and yet, so disconnected in another
What to see at Hot Docs 2015 By: Peter Howell and Linda Barnard | April 22, 2015
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2015/04/22/what-‐to-‐see-‐at-‐hot-‐docs-‐2015.html
What to see at Hot Docs 2015 Linda Barnard and Peter Howell share their list of must-‐see movies at Hot Docs 2015, with some insider tips to maximize the experience.
The Amina Profile: This examination of the power and the dangers of social media unfolds like a spy thriller. Directed by Montreal’s Sophie Deraspe, the film follows the curious case of an online love affair between a Quebec woman, Sandra Bagaria, and a Syrian blogger named Amina Arraf, who posted under title “A Gay Girl in Damascus” during the Arab Spring uprisings of recent years. The film is reminiscent of Catfish in its basic circumstances of love and online deception, but it goes far deeper into how virtual lies cause tangible problems. The finale is a nail-‐biter, with an outcome that can’t be anticipated or entirely explained. (April 25, 7 p.m., Lightbox; April 27, 1 p.m., Hart House.) P.H.
ONLINE IDENTITY: DISCUSSING THE AMINA PROFILE WITH SOPHIE DERASPE AND SANDRA BAGARIA By: Sean Kelly | April 28, 2015 http://thetfs.ca/2015/04/28/discussing-‐amina-‐profile-‐sophie-‐deraspe-‐sandra-‐bagaria/ The Amina Profile is directed by Montreal-‐based filmmaker Sophie Deraspe, who previously directed the feature films Missing Victor Pellerin (2006) and Vital Signs (2009). The Amina Profile follows Montrealer Sandra Bagaria, who begins a long-‐distance relationship with a Syrian woman Sandra met online named Amina Arraf. However, through a sequence of events, it quickly comes to light that Amina might not be all that she seems. Toronto Film Scene communicated with both Sophie Deraspe and Sandra Bagaria to discuss The Amina Profile. It should be noted that some of the revelations made in the documentary will be discussed in this interview. Sandra Bagaria had her first interaction with Amina Arraf in January 2011 through a Facebook dating application and the two began their “relationship” a month later. “We started writing daily to each other and at the same time, the Arab Uprising was starting to make headlines in the news,” says Bagaria of the initial encounters. While Sandra initially had doubts about this “relationship,” they were eventually subsided by the mainstream media coverage received by the success of Amina’s blog “Gay Girl in Damascus.” “When The Guardian ‘conducted’ an interview with Amina in May, I had no more reason to doubt. One of the most trusted news organisations in the world met with her, how could I keep on doubting her writing and existence after it?” Sandra personally knew Sophie Deraspe, who was witness to this online love affair from the beginning, including some of the later developments. “When Amina was abducted, it felt like being in a thriller, coupled with an overwhelming emotional journey for Sandra,” says Deraspe. “Once the hoax was revealed, I remember telling her that a film was unfolding in front of us, but that we were only at minute 30 of an incredible international story. The rest was yet to come.”
When The Guardian ‘conducted’ an interview with Amina in May, I had no more reason to doubt. The truth about Amina was already known when Sophie Deraspe began shooting The Amina Profile. Despite being a first-‐hand witness to the events, Deraspe still did a lot of research in preparation for the film, during which she discovered the true scope of this story. “It was by meeting the key people involved in the story, by going all over the world, that we realized the impact and began to understand how such a fantasy could have spread and been shared even by brilliant, educated, well-‐informed people.” The Amina Profile builds on the mythology of Amina Affraf, though a series of dramatizations. In talking about this aspect of the film, Deraspe states that she used these narrative film codes to help the audience get immersed in the illusion. “Narrative film is an amazing vehicle for fantasy. I wanted the viewer to dive into lesbian eroticism and the making of a revolution – the ingredients for the success of the Gay Girl in Damascusblog. It is only when the fantasy is shared that the brutal reality can be faced,” says Deraspe on the film’s dramatizations. Deraspe goes on to say the reality of the story was much more compelling, which is why she was pushed towards making a documentary, instead of a fully narrative film. The Amina Profile says a lot about the power of social media to both influence and manipulate. Amina’s blog was supported by other Syrian bloggers and the revelation of the hoax hurt their credibility somewhat. “To nourish a fiction and a quest for fame on the back of those who are truly endangering themselves for truth and justice is just outrageous. It is no wonder so many involved are disillusioned and jaded,” says Deraspe about the effect of this hoax on real bloggers. However, Deraspse goes on to say that Rami, a blogger who campaigned for Amina, said that he would do it all again. The success of the Amina persona is like a mirror image of our own desires. At the centre of this whole ordeal was Sandra Bagaria, who Deraspe said showed a great deal of courage in travelling the globe and regaining power over her story. The film climaxes somewhat with Sandra confronting the individual who was behind Amina. She states it was a stressful moment for her, but that it also felt right. “As we know emotions are pretty hard to control, and it made me feel weak for couple of minutes. I wanted to be strong but got anxious. I knew that encounter had to happen, that we had travelled for this reason and I had to bring back myself together,” says Sandra about her feelings at that moment. When Sandra saw that this individual was just a normal person, she was able to regain some of her composure. “I had a mission and it became very clear. My emotions left the room and my goal was to take back control of a story I had lost control over before.” The main question that has be asked surrounding The Amina Profile is why a lesbian blog attracted so much attention in the first place? Derapse says that this was all just an amazing synchronicity of events. “A blog about being gay and liberal in a conservative country where a revolution is just beginning to simmer; the fact that journalists were not able to enter the country to cover what was happening, making Western media eager for a voice from the inside who could speak to a Western audience; activists who needed to get the word out; and the existence of a Canadian lover who could “vouch” for her. It’s as if everyone was involved in fabricating a persona without even being aware of it,” she says about how the events played out. “The media certainly bear a huge responsibility in this scam, but we too are a part of how it all worked out. Why do we need this catchy blog title to follow a Syrian activist? Why do we click on the profile of the cutest, boldest, sexiest lesbian from a country where women are supposedly covered and submissive? The success of the Amina persona is like a mirror image of our own desires.” One thing to arise out of this ordeal is that Sandra Bagaria is now much more careful about future online communications. “I am a romantic person, I do love the mystery you can create around yourself but I spent less time leaving it up in the air and making fantasies out of it,” says Sandra of her changed behaviours. ” We want things to happen quickly, we are impatient. An email unanswered for 24-‐ 48 hours gets overwhelming. This is what I remind myself everyday now, take and leave the time to things. It makes me appreciate it even more.”
HOT DOCS: DAY 5 – THE AMINA PROFILE” By: Steve Gow | April 27, 2015
http://www.strictlydocs.com/hdday5/ Interview: THE AMINA PROFILE
Some people aren’t who they seem to be.And some aren’t even remotely close. Montrealer Sandra Bagaria found that out the hard way when she met a gorgeous Syrian-‐American rebel named Amina Arraf over the Internet and began an intimate online affair. But when the curious woman (who was the infamous persona behind a controversial blog titled A Gay Girl in Damascus) suddenly disappears, Bagaria is forced to solve a mystery that she never expected. Captured in Sophie Deraspe’s eye-‐opening film The Amina Profile, the documentary will surely lure the same audiences that lap up such non-‐fiction thrillers as The Imposter and Catfish. Here’s a quick sample of my conversation with Bagaria ahead of the film’s screening today at Hot Docs. Steve Gow: The film obviously has the twist in the middle so I don’t know if that is something you want to avoid talking about – for people who haven’t seen the movie. Bagaria: Well, I think there’s two ways we can say it – the first one is that Amina is not the person she pretended to be. And the second is, if people do their own search on the Internet, they’ll figure it out. It’s public so its not about hiding it or avoiding it. Gow: You come across as a detective in a way in the film. Is that how it felt for you when it was all happening? Bagaria: Ya, it totally felt the same. Especially the last week before the revelation because I was in the middle of that media turmoil and I was just trying to gather all the pieces to make sense out of it. And I was in connection with Andy Carvin who, at the time, was with NPR and we were cross-‐checking pictures that I received and he had some other pictures and we were seeing the metadata on the pictures to see if it was corresponding to each other and I had some very good friends of mine who were also investigating on the side so we were gathering everything and we had a crazy board and we were like, ‘what’s going on’ so it felt like that. Gow: What do people say to you after watching a movie like this? Bagaria: It’s very interesting because a lot of people came to me and had personal stories to share saying, I had an online relationship with someone and he turned out to be a liar and stole my money or a fraud…it’s showing how easy it is to get cheated on the Internet that you need to be cautious; you need to be cautious of how you interact with people online.
Hot Docs 2015: What documentaries should you see at this year's fest? By:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐what-‐documentaries-‐should-‐you-‐see-‐at-‐this-‐ years-‐fest/article23733711/
Sophie Deraspe -‐ Toronto Premiere –Country: Canada – Length: 85 minutes
At the height of the Arab Spring, as student protests begin against the regime in Syria, a young French citizen living in Montreal becomes embroiled in an online lesbian love affair with a daring and beautiful American-‐Syrian, Amina Arraf, who is blogging from Damascus. Sandra Bagaria and her “girlfriend” can’t meet in person but spend hours every day e-‐mailing and texting each other, sometimes discussing politics, other times indulging in highly erotic sexual exchanges. When Amina is apparently kidnapped by the regime, The Amina Profile turns into a detective story with a shocking revelation about how badly this affair ended. Relying heavily on Bagaria’s participation, it’s a story that says a lot of nasty things about politics and media in the Internet age, and also exposes ugly homophobia and continuing Orientalism in Western attitudes toward the Middle East. The only encouraging thing in this tale is the bravery Bagaria shows in telling it. – Kate Taylor
The Amina Profile April 17, 2015
https://nowtoronto.com/movies/hot-‐docs-‐2015/the-‐amina-‐profile/
THE AMINA PROFILE (Sophie Deraspe, Canada/UK). 84 minutes. Rating: NNNN This taut doc begins with a hot online affair between Montrealer Sandra Bagaria and the mysterious Amina, author of the online blog Gay Girl In Damascus, which then blows up thanks to a story in the Guardian. But Amina may not be a politically courageous activist. How that came to be discovered is fascinating, but what the story says about the degradation of journalism is even more important. An edgy soundtrack and terrifying footage of the Syrian rebellion give the film a heightened tension that makes clear what's really at stake. The erotic content borders on cheesy, and a final encounter between Bagaria and the real Amina doesn't deliver the punch it should. But this is still a great story told with panache. Apr 25, 7 pm, TIFF 1; Apr 27, 1 pm, Hart House
HOT DOCS 2015 REVIEW: THE AMINA PROFILE By: Sean Kelly | April 24, 2015
http://thetfs.ca/2015/04/24/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐review-‐amina-‐profile/ Montreal woman Sandra Bagaria meets a Syrian woman named Amina Arraf online and the two begin a long-‐distance relationship, communicating entirely through text messages. Amina begins a blog called “A Gay Girl in Damascus,” which becomes a media sensation, due to Amina blogging about the developing Syrian uprising. Things take a turn when Amina is kidnapped and Sandra begins a campaign to free her. However, when no sign of Amina Arraf can be found, it raises doubt about whether she is even a real person. The Amina Profile begins with the highly erotic transcription of the initial exchange of text messages between Sandra Bagaria and Amina Arraf. This was the beginning of, what Sandra believed to be, a very real romantic connection. Amina would then go on to receive major media attention for blogging her on-‐ the-‐ground reports from Syria, which was considered an inspirational story about the power of blogging. It’s hard to say too much about The Amina Profile without giving away all the documentary’s revelations, however the film does take a swerve in the second half and becomes more a film about the power of social media to both inspire and manipulate. The film uses dramatizations to depict Amina Arraf, which adds to the mythical status she develops. Ultimately, the true focus of the film is Sandra Bagaria, who seeks to unravel the truth about this Arab girl she met online. IS THE AMINA PROFILE ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL VIEWING? Beginning as the story of an online romance in the midst of an uprising, The Amina Profile ends up turning into a stranger than fiction cautionary tale, which is most definitely worth checking out. § §
THE AMINA PROFILE SCREENING TIMES Saturday, April 25, 2015 – 7:00 pm – TIFF Bell Lightbox Monday, April 27, 2015 – 1:00 pm – Hart House Theatre More About The Amina Profile THE AMINA PROFILE TRAILER
Hot Docs: The Amina Profile, Missing People, Drawing The Tiger, Milk Reviews By: Jacqueline Valencia | April 23, 2015
http://nextprojection.com/2015/04/23/hot-‐docs-‐amina-‐profile-‐missing-‐people-‐drawing-‐ tiger-‐milk-‐reviews/ The thing about Hot Docs and documentaries in general is that you never know how you’re going to feel after a viewing. Emotions can go from infuriating to tearjerking to stirring all in the span of a few hours. If done well, film essays are importunate in their arguments while personal profiles can bring meaningful experiences to a viewer. Hot Docs this year keeps bringing in the convincing, the influential, and the weighty and boy, I am ready for more. The Amina Profile (2015) Director: Sophie Deraspe Director Sophie Deraspe takes on the story of a Montreal woman, Sandra Bargaria, who had an online relationship with Syrian blogger Amina Abdallah. In interviews with people who knew both of them, Deraspe paints a portrait of Sandra, a supportive partner who would do anything for the love of her life, and Amina, a fervent political activist who will stop at nothing to make people aware of the injustices of her world. Amina is kidnapped and international media and organization swoop in to call for her release. It is only until then and a massive hunt for Amina’s true whereabouts that it is revealed that Amina only ever existed as an online persona for American Tom MacMaster. Deraspe approaches Bargaria as someone who is genuinely interested in the woman within the chaos of Amina’s story. Bargaria had to live with the humiliation of MacMaster’s hoax and was given little consideration after the revelations. MacMaster, in turn, nonchalantly received fifteen minutes of fame as a result. The director gives Bargaria a chance to speak of her perspectives and her lingering need for closure, while giving a voice to the crucial struggles that the Syrian people face at the hands of their government and ratings hungry media.
Hot Docs Film Festival 2015: 'The Amina Profile' April 25, 2015
http://www.examiner.com/review/hot-‐docs-‐film-‐festival-‐2015-‐the-‐amina-‐profile The Amina Profile
It was, in many respects, the perfect story: an out lesbian in Damascus, Syria blogs about the 2011 regime uprisings and casts a valuable light upon several human rights issues in dire need of illumination. But as "The Amina Profile", which premiered at the 2015 Hot Docs Film Festival on April 25 at TIFF Bell Lightbox 1, shows, there was one crucial element missing — the blogger herself. Sophie Deraspe directed this documentary that, while containing an ending that's no surprise, manages to maintain suspense throughout its 85 minutes. "The Amina Profile" starts by recreating early chat logs between Amina Arraf, the lesbian blogger behind "A Gay Girl in Damascus", and her online girlfriend, Sandra Bagaria. It quickly escalates into erotic talk, which gives the viewer the impression that a face-‐to-‐face meeting will soon follow. None does, of course, for various reasons: Skype is blocked in Syria, the police are threatening Amina, and the police arrest and abduct Amina. It's that last point that really drives the Hot Docs movie, as Bagaria reaches out to friends and media persons to try and find Amina. As the search grows bigger and more people become aware of the case, suspicions arise that Amina doesn't really exist. People report attending the same meetings as Amina but not being there the week she was; although many have her and her cousin, Rania Ismail, on Facebook,
nobody has actually met her; and there are inconsistencies in places and events Amina has previously relayed to Bagaria. Eventually, the true author of the "A Gay Girl in Damascus" blog is revealed to be a middle-‐aged white American male, Tom MacMaster with the subject of the photographs he's been using a Croatian woman, Jelena Lecic. MacMaster's reasoning was he wanted to help assist the Syrian cause by contributing his knowledge and opinions, but felt he couldn't do so under his current identity because he wouldn't be taken seriously. But in assuming the identity of Amina Arraf, MacMaster ends up doing far more harm than good by damaging the credibility of those involved in the Arab Spring and misdirecting media attention that could have been shone on other — real — issues. Deraspe does a fine job in pulling together a cast of characters to examine this catfish story from all angles, with Bagaria leading the way by being so open with her experiences. There's a scene at the end where Bagaria confronts MacMaster in person, and how it turns out is more revealing of MacMaster's personality than anything he'd said or done previously. However, her choice in doing so highlights a potential problem: after MacMaster has lied so thoroughly to so many people and nothing he says can be trusted now, why give him any sort of forum when that attention can be so much more valuably used elsewhere? For most of "The Amina Profile", Deraspe knits together a movie that's taut and suspenseful, with a skilled editor's hand in constructing a believable chronological narrative. It's when she reaches the end of the film that she falters by giving actual screen time to MacMaster, undoing just a bit of the magic she'd so carefully built up before. There is one moment in the movie that feels like the best retribution possible for MacMaster, although one gets the sense that it doesn't impact him nearly as much as it should. Despite a couple of bumps and loose threads, Deraspe manages to underscore the message of how important it is to not blindly believe everything you read or hear about — even when a seemingly trustworthy publication like The Guardian purports to have conducted an interview with the person in question
TOP 10 HOT DOCS TO LOCK DOWN By: GLENN SUMI, NORMAN WILNER, SUSAN G. COLE | April 15, 2015 https://nowtoronto.com/movies/hot-‐docs-‐2015/top-‐10-‐hot-‐docs-‐to-‐lock-‐down/ THE AMINA PROFILE
Not only is Sophie Deraspe's story about an influential blogger -‐ a lesbian dissident in Syria who may not be what she appears -‐ expertly told, but it also makes for a powerful commentary on journalism's degenerating standards. And it's got nail-‐biting tension. SGC April 25 and 27
Hot Docs 2015 Review: The Amina Profile By: Anthony Marcusa | April 20, 2015
http://scenecreek.com/hot-‐docs/hot-‐docs-‐the-‐amina-‐profile/
This initially erotic documentary from Sophie Deraspe will challenge the viewer, appealing to your idealistic, romantic side while telling a social and political tale of importance. That’s because we follow the online liaison between two women half a world apart, joined by intellectual passion and a penchant for words. The electronic tryst between Montrealer Sandra Bagaria and the enigmatic Amina Arraf, a Syrian-‐ American blogger living in Damascus, reveals itself something bigger. Amina becomes a political figure, her words inspiring and enlightening those around the globe. She speaks of oppression and fear, all the while Sandra specifically and others in general read her blog and await her public and private words. Then Amina is abducted, and things fall apart. The Amina Profile smartly welcomes you into something private and intimate, helping you align with Sandra while slowly unraveling the mystery around Amina, one that involves investigative journalists and news outlets. This story that took place just a few years ago speaks to our desire to be romantically and political hopeful, to assume the perseverance of people and to project onto others our wishes and desires. It’s not so much that some blindly trust the world around us; it’s that we want to. Smartly crafted and expertly-‐ executed, The Amina Profile doesn’t attack anyone in particular, but presents their interaction and investment into this story. Indeed, it’s a geopolitical tale that has consequences for so many, but this doc always returns to the personal, and rightly so. Sandra and others speak to the event open and honestly in this cinematic, creative piece of emotional storytelling.
Hot Docs 2015: The Amina Profile By: Daniel Lackey | April 23, 3015
http://cinemaaxis.com/2015/04/23/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐the-‐amina-‐profile/ Over the course of five months in 2011, an aspiring Syrian-‐ American writer named Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari gained international recognition as the author of A Gay Girl in Damascus, a blog detailing her experiences as an out lesbian in a country torn by civil war against a repressive regime. On the sixth of June, her cousin posted a distressing message to the blog: agents of the Syrian government had abducted Amina, were holding her captive. Bloggers, journalists and activists across the globe mobilized to pressure the government to release her, but uncovered a shocking revelation. Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari didn’t actually exist. Her writings were the work of Tom MacMaster, an American living in Scotland; but Sophie Deraspe’s documentary The Amina Profile is not his story. The real protagonist of the film is Sandra Bagaria, a French-‐Canadian living in Montreal who’d been conducting an online romantic relationship with Amina that started before Gay Girl in Damascus ever launched. But since the two had never actually met face-‐to-‐ face, Bagaria had no idea who her girlfriend really was and found out about the hoax at pretty much the same time everybody else did. Deraspe is at her best when exploring the personal damage caused by MacMaster’s betrayal and its exposure, and Bagaria is a willing, engaging and charismatic subject. The socio-‐political ramifications are also examined. Journalists gleefully ponder the sensational attention they can get by writing about the “gay girl from Demascus.” Activists express outrage at the media resources tied up in the hunt for “Amina” instead of covering what was really going on in Syria. The narrative comes apart a bit toward the end of the film, when MacMaster enters the story fully. He remains an enigmatic figure, and while he attempts a rudimentary explanation for why he did what he did, it doesn’t satisfy. The inevitable face-‐to-‐face confrontation with Bagaria is anticlimactic, lacking drama. His involvement with the film feels like an obligation to the audience, who–quite understandably– is likely to want to get to know the man behind the character. But Deraspe seems reluctant to give him any more attention (and personally, if that’s the case, I can’t say I blame her). However, this doesn’t detract from the power of The Amina Profile’s first hour. Overall, it’s a fascinating examination of the pros and cons of the modern world of technology and communication. It’s easier to connect with like minds in foreign countries, easier to disseminate a message, easier to motivate a network. But relationships remain as complex as ever, if not more so. Screens Saturday, April 25, 7:00 PM, TIFF Bell Lightbox Monday, April 27, 1:00 PM, Hart House Theatre Tickets can be purchased at the Hot Docs website.
Hot Docs Review: 'The Amina Profile' By: Pat Mullen | April 28, 2015 http://www.cinemablographer.com/2015/04/hot-‐docs-‐review-‐amina-‐profile.html The Amina Profile (Canada, 85 min.) Dir. Sophie Desraspe -‐ Programme: Canadian Spectrum (Toronto Premiere) What kind of bait does it take to catch a catfish? The Amina Profile takes an absorbing look at a contemporary con that's spawning out of control in the digital age as director Sophie Desraspe joins subject Sandra Bagaria on a quest to uncover the truth behind Sandra's alleged girlfriend, whom she believe to be a Syrian girl named Amina. Amina, the voice behind the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus, has her virtual lover worried when she disappears and leaves Sandra fearing that Amina's outspoken LGBT voice made her a target of Syria's oppressive regime. The truth is far worse and it leaves far more victims. This captivating doc traces the virtual web of 'Amina Arraf that snares many intelligent people and reputable news sources (plus The Guardian) into the façade of digital authenticity. Chat messages and mysterious re-‐enactments draw viewers into the enigma of Amina, and Desraspe smartly deconstructs the credibility of online presences and the validity of social media impressions. The film offers an outstanding cautionary tale of digital privacy and victimization, for Decrease’s smart and thorough profile of Amina's deceit underscores the dangerous appropriation of voice in the digital age as vulnerable groups become pawns for anglers of instant fame. This solid production poses an essential double bill with its Hot Docs counterpart Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi, and it's scarier than anything you saw in Citizenfour. Amina, with its great story and even better delivery, is a Hot Docs standout. Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★) Please visit www.hotdocs.ca for more info on this year’s festival.
The Amina Profile (Hot Docs Review)
By: Susan Kemp | April 28, 2015
http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/the-‐amina-‐profile/
In 2011, I didn’t believe in the power of Twitter. Like many dissenters, I didn’t understand why we needed multiple platforms to complain to our friends about how awful Mondays are. My perspective changed during the Arab Spring, when I started following an NPR journalist named Andy Carvin. A tool can be used in many ways, and in March 2011, Carvin and his Twitter following debunked news reports about Israeli weapons being found in Libya—simply by sharing images and research over Twitter. It’s all compiled in this fascinated Storify story. With absolutely no exaggeration, I can say my mind was totally blown. Given his presence on social media and in Western reporting on the Arab Spring, it’s no surprise that Carvin makes an appearance in director Sophie Deraspe’s new documentary, The Amina Profile, a thrilling retelling of the online maelstrom that occured when a lesbian Arab blogger named Amina went missing in June 2011. While the confusing presence of technology in our lives is a major topic of the film—as well as the growing unrest in Damascus following the Arab Spring—the heart of this documentary is a love story: the bewitching tale of a Syrian woman who meets a French-‐Canadian named Sandra online, a relationship which emboldens both women to stand up for their beliefs. This has greater inherent stakes for Amina as she attends protests in Damascus (where a man is shot and killed just beside her). And, indeed, the hidden fear of both women is realized when, 30 minutes into the movie, Sandra gets an email saying Amina’s been kidnapped. The outcry on social media is impassioned and hysterical. It only gets worse when Andy Carvin types four simple words: “Has anyone met Amina?”
The insinuation would quickly become “because I’m starting to think she’s not real.” Oh, what kind of rabbit hole have you opened, Mr. Carvin? Is Twitter a tool to catch journalists when they slip up, or can it be a dangerous place where novice investigators derail a case—one with life and death consequences? The bulk of the film follows from that question, and the men and women entangled in the Amina case extend far and wide: Amina’s girlfriend, her online friends (which, while platonic, seem to hold just as passionate of a bond), reporters, crisis interventionists, Syrian gay-‐rights activists, and more. The voices are varied and span several continents, but everyone shares one common goal: looking for a girl, who, if Syrian tradition stands true, is probably suffering the immediate threat of torture and even death. But a fringe that believes Amina is a con artist undermines the entire investigation. Where there is never conflict is in the recreated exchanges between Sandra and Amina based on instant messenger transcripts. Sandra repeats the refrain, “be careful, love.” Of course, when there is not a ton of archival footage to rely on, documentaries sometimes opt to create their own imagery—and the filmmakers do here, often portraying a young Arab woman in her room or walking the streets. The way the filmmakers recreate scenes, sometimes sensual, sometimes pensive and reflective, don’t seem just like filler in this film. They’re essential to its tone—instant messages just can’t fully show what being in a relationship feels like. After all, at the heart of this story is a Canadian woman deeply invested in a woman she hasn’t heard from in weeks, so the blurring of fact and fiction does wonders to maintain a tone of conflicting emotions—both lust and confusion. Their romance is intense and passionate, feeling more like a pair of university students falling in love for the first time rather than two 30-‐somethings behind computer monitors. The depictions of Amina stay abstract and short, like tiny strings of poetry amidst the dark backdrop of a region in war. By the time Amina is kidnapped, Sandra’s terror matches the viewer’s terror. Documentaries can’t always nail the narrative arc, but The Amina Profile certainly does. It’s impossible to not feel invested in Amina’s plight—and by extension the twisted emotions of her friends and lover. By piling on impassioned interview after impassioned interview with everyone who knew Amina, the love story ultimately wins. If there is any criticism to be delivered here, it’s that the actual coverage of the conflict in Syria, and the effects of many journalists choosing to cover Amina versus other conflicts, is only done in a cursory way. One of the conflicts Sandra and her supporters faced was the growing criticism that resources used on Amina could have been used on more important/more universal stories. Perhaps my bias of seeing just how revolutionary some of the informal Twitter reporting was leads me to believe that this film could have been stronger if we weren’t just told, offhand, about one or two stories that were neglected that week, but if we were also shown some of the incredible ways journalism was done right. Harping on the idea that more stories could have been covered, without getting specific, comes off as a little didactic, and that could have totally been avoided. Real people, both journalists and protesters, did some amazing things in 2011 with smartphones and social media accounts. But I get it. In a film about one topic, you have to pick your battles. And in delivering a modern-‐day love story-‐turned-‐mystery with more twists than your average blockbuster,The Amina Profile delivers. And for its part, it offers some necessary cautionary tales for the digital age. If you get the opportunity to make a screening, it’s worth accepting the invite on this one. The Amina Profile (Hot Docs Review) Movie review 7.5/10
The Amina Profile By: Matthew Hoffman | April 27, 2015
http://blacksheepreviews.com/the-‐amina-‐profile-‐hotdocs15-‐review/ THE AMINA PROFILE Directed by Sophie Deraspe THE AMINA PROFILE opens with an online conversation between two women. This conversation is presented as text that appears on the screen. The two women compliment each others’ appearances, before delving into the sexual things they want to do to each other. One woman, Sandra, lives in Quebec. The other, Amina, lives in Damascus, Syria. The film explores the long-‐distance relationship between the two women, as well as the rising popularity of Amina’s blog “A Gay Girl in Damascus”. Sandra and Amina chat frequently for months, before Sandra receives an email from Amina’s cousin, stating that Amina has been kidnapped by the Syrian government, for her opposition and homosexuality. Sandra takes matters into her own hands, fighting for Amina’s safe release. If that has not captured your attention, let me just say that there is also a twist. THE AMINA PROFILE begins as a romance, before quickly elevating to become a fast-‐paced thriller. The subject matter is extremely intriguing, and is at times absolutely mind-‐ blowing. The film follows Sandra across the globe, in a journey that has to be seen to be believed. Director Sophie Deraspe uses reenactments to show Amina’s life in Damascus. While reenactments can often be tricky, Deraspe uses them sparingly and never to depict high-‐action events. Thus, they do not distract from the overall film.THE AMINA PROFILE is one of those films that grabs viewers right from the beginning and keeps them enthralled throughout. It is tough to say why the film is so great without spoiling it, but trust me when I say it is not one you will want to miss. THE AMINA PROFILE screens at the HotDocs Canadian International Documentary Festival as part of the Canadian Spectrum program. Screening Schedule … Saturday, April 25, 7:00 PM, TIFF Bell Lightbox Monday, April 27, 1:00 PM, Hart House For more information and for tickets, please visit hotdocs.ca.
Hot Docs 2015: The Amina Profile (2015) By: Ulkar Alakbarova | April 23, 2015
http://moviemovesme.com/2015/04/23/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐the-‐amina-‐profile-‐2015/ Amina Arraf. Born on October 12, 1975. She has a strong, and extremely unique personality. She is afraid of nothing, not even the heavily armed secret police of Damascus, who can arrest her, or even worse, kill her, for her modern views on life. But Amina has a big secret, a secret that can destroy her society and increase her chances of death. Despite that, she starts her own blog and names it ‘A Gay Girl in Damascus’, where she announces to the entire world her sexuality, and on top of that, includes her name and a photo. What is it? Is Amina Arraf a brave girl from Damascus, or an insane person who has no idea what will happen if the Syrian police find her? If you have never heard of Amina Arraf and her story, I would highly recommend that you don’t google her name, or the name of her blog, and patiently watch the documentary film instead, where I am sure you will get more than enough information about who she really is… The Amina Profile introduces Sandra, who tells the story of how she comes to know Amina. They are attracted to each other and the relationship between them makes Sandra want to know more about this intriguing girl from Syrian Damascus. But, after Amina is supposedly kidnapped by the police for her sexual orientation, the whole world starts to talk about this fearless Middle Eastern girl. The press coverage was unprecedented. Everyone was trying to contribute their time and effort to save a stranger from being raped, tortured and killed. I honestly have never seen such a documentary film where every single scene is so very hard to comprehend or to accept as a real story that happened and not so long ago. The most fascinating part of the story-‐ A Gay Girl in Damascus is its unprecedented press coverage. However, the real victim of this story is the trustful Sandra Bagaria, who believes in Amina and in her existence as if she had met her in person. Sophie Deraspe`s documentary film is absolutely captivating, shocking and unbelievable. It`s not easy to watch, or follow, if you put yourself into the shoes of Sandra Bagaria. And there is one thing Sandra can be proud of, she owns great material, which could become an excellent Hollywood film, with any ending she chooses. Unfortunately, the ending she must face right now, and at this moment, is far beyond her expectations… and not in a good way…
Hot Docs 2015: ‘The Amina Profile’ and ‘Seth’s Dominion’ By: Trevor Jeffrey | April 19, 2015
http://wyliewrites.com/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐4/
The Amina Profile is three stories in one: a three-‐part politically charged long-‐distance romance with a twist; a bit of Going the Distance meets a bit of Milk, with a lot of Catfish. It’s a story of civil unrest under a dictatorship told through a somber love story: two women meant for each other, with half a world between them – Sandra in Montreal and Amina in Damascus. Six months into their relationship, Amina disappears due to her blog receiving negative attention from authorities. The social media-‐verse rallies, but then, the twist: Amina doesn’t exist. Further digging leads to one man, Tom MacMaster, who faked it all. It magnificently uses themes of social media, combining camera and computer screen, and video and chat logs to powerfully show Sandra’s vulnerability, all the while suggesting to the viewer how strong she really is. Through excellent pacing and emotionally driven imagery and interviews, it’s hard for the viewer to not be enthralled by Sandra and her story. It’s a very personal look into how a man fooled countless people, and the one person he hurt most. Through The Amina Profile, Sandra gets a voice, and justice in the court of public opinion. Catch The Amina Profile at Toronto’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on: Saturday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. @ TIFF Bell Lightbox Monday, April 27 at 1:00 p.m. @ Hart House Theatre
Hot Docs 2015: What films you should see at this year's festival By: Jim Slotek | April 18, 2015
hlttp://www.torontosun.com/2015/04/18/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐what-‐films-‐you-‐should-‐see-‐at-‐this-‐years-‐ festival We look at 13 films ahead of Canada's premiere documentary film festival Okay, so the red carpet scene isn’t as much of a “thing.” But Toronto’s annual Hot Docs Film Festival carries arguably as much impact in the documentary world as TIFF does on the wider cinema scene. Hot Docs is a leading-‐edge intro into the non-‐fiction films people will be talking about through 2015, and is a pretty good predictor of the docs that will be getting Oscar attention. Examples: this year’s nom Virunga and recent-‐vintage Oscar winners like The Cove and Man on Wire. Some 210 documentaries from 44 countries are programmed at 12 different venues, starting with the April 23 opening night premiere of TIG, a profile of the Grammy-‐winning comedian Tig Notaro, whose battle with cancer informed the most inspired comedy of her career. Also heavily anticipated: Documentaries on Mavis Staples (Mavis!) and Nina Simone (What Happened Miss Simone?) Herewith: a sampling of 13 Hot Docs films we previewed. THE AMINA PROFILE: A woman in Montreal has an online relationship with a Syrian who ostensibly runs a gutsy blog called A Gay Girl in Damascus during the pre-‐civil war Arab Spring. When Amina goes missing, actual state departments become involved. If Catfish had geopolitical ramifications, this would be it. A fascinating tale of deception. Reposted: London Free Press -‐ http://www.lfpress.com/2015/04/18/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐what-‐films-‐you-‐should-‐see-‐at-‐ this-‐years-‐festival
The top 20 films to see at Hot Docs 2015 By: Sima Sahar Zerehi | April 13, 2015
http://www.blogto.com/film/2015/04/the_top_20_films_to_see_at_hot_docs_2015/ The Amina Profile Sophia Deraspe's The Amina Profile explores how lesbian eroticism, the Arab Spring and a suspicious abduction, turn an online love affair between a Montreal woman and the writer of the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus, into an international mystery.
10 Films to See at Hot Docs By: http://cinemaaxis.com/2015/04/15/10-‐films-‐to-‐see-‐at-‐hot-‐docs-‐2015/ The Amina Profile During the volatile Syrian uprising, Amina Arraf, a lesbian Syrian-‐American woman living in Damascus, launched the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus. The site quickly became a hit with both the online community and respected news media outlets for its brave and unflinching reporting. However, when Amina disappears it sets off a captivating, and shocking, international mystery.
What’s gay at Toronto’s Hot Docs in 2015 By: Chris Dupuis | April 22, 2015
http://www.dailyxtra.com/arts-‐and-‐entertainment/what%E2%80%99s-‐gay-‐at-‐toronto%E2%80%99s-‐hot-‐ docs-‐in-‐2015-‐102659?m=0 The Amina Profile It’s hard to say much about The Amina Profile without falling into full-‐on spoiler mode. But audiences who followed the events surrounding the saga of Syrian-‐American writer and activist Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari will already know one major plot-‐twist from Canadian director Sophie Deraspe’s latest film. Author of the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus, Arraf al Omari emerged as voice on queer and political issues in the Middle East, after contributing articles to American news site Lez Get Real. But when her writings caught the attention of the Syrian government in 2011, she was purportedly abducted and an online campaign for her release was launched. Amina retells the strange story of the lesbian blogger who shot to international fame. But its main focus is actually Sandra Bagaria; the Montreal woman who carried on a lengthy online affair with Amina before she disappeared. Using interviews with Bagaria, online chats and emails the pair exchanged, as well as a combination of real and staged footage, the film defies classification. Part documentary, part mystery and part erotic thriller, it also becomes a sort of cautionary tale for the Internet age, reminding us that in a time of anonymous avatars and curated identities, no one is really who they seem
Review: 'Canadian Spectrum' is Hot Docs’ salute to home
By: Sarah Gopaul | April 22, 2015
http://www.digitaljournal.com/a-‐and-‐e/entertainment/review-‐canadian-‐spectrum-‐is-‐hot-‐docs-‐salute-‐to-‐ home/article/431358 Every worldly festival also pays homage to its home nation, showcasing the best local creators have to offer. The “Canadian Spectrum” program at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival features stories produced by Canadians, though many of the subjects reach beyond the country’s borders. Within this year’s selections, filmmakers examine a betrayal of trust on a personal and global scale, one man’s status as both savior and abuser, and the latest industry to covertly attack the world’s population.
Hot Docs shines a spotlight on homegrown documentaries in its “Canadian Spectrum” program, which’s subjects extend beyond the country’s borders. In 2011, the world turned their attention to Syria where a civil uprising known as Arab Spring was occupying the country. One of the key components of the movement was its utilization of social media not only to communicate with citizens, but also to build awareness outside their borders. During this time a blog titled “A Gay Girl in Damascus” was launched and gained international attention when its writer, Amina Arraf, was reportedly kidnapped. The Amina Profile chronicles the frantic search for the activist and the ultimate revelation that she did not exist. Director Sophie Deraspe has a personal stake in the matter as she was the fictional blogger’s Montreal girlfriend. The film begins with a sensual striptease followed by the text of sexy online chat, immediately exposing the nature of their relationship and the severity of the deception. The elaborate hoax was orchestrated by American Tom MacMaster, who created the Amina persona as well as several other personalities to authenticate her existence. In addition to sharing her own fragment of the story, Deraspe interviews journalists and activists from Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and the United States who were also duped by MacMaster, exposing a lack of due diligence by reporters who took Amina’s “first-‐person account” as verification enough. Gradually the focus of the narrative shifts from the unrest in Syria to the details of the hoax and the harm it caused. Throughout the narrative, a woman representing Amina is followed by a camera through nameless streets until her demise. Deraspe bravely puts herself under the microscope in the context of the story, with the final confrontation being more personal than an attempt to seek justice on any scale.
Dissecting a golden age of lies at Hot Docs By: Liam Lacey | April 23, 2015
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/dissecting-‐a-‐golden-‐age-‐of-‐lies-‐at-‐hot-‐docs/article24082734/ The booming appetite for film and television documentaries in the new century has occurred simultaneously with an epidemic of public lying. From the myth of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, to the Wall Street meltdown, to sports dopers, literary and journalism scandals and to Internet fakes, we’re in a golden age of fraud. Cinema is the truth 24 times a second, as a character in Jean-‐Luc Godard’s Le Petit Soldatsaid, but increasingly documentary filmmakers are also scrutinizing the assumptions of their own medium. Joshua Oppenheimer, the director of The Act of Killing (on the Indonesian genocide), stirred things up at the South by Southwest film festival last month when he said all documentaries are based on a fiction between filmmaker and subject. Others, like Kirby Dick, director of the sexual assault documentary The Hunting Ground, argue that the camera is an instrument that can distill the truth about relationships, a version of what Picasso has said of art, that it’s “a lie that makes us realize truth.” There’s even a whole movie on the subject of lying at this year’s Hot Docs festival: Yael Melamede‘s (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies. The film is built around a lecture by Duke University professor Dan Ariely, who outlines a number of tests he has devised to look at the nature of lying. One of Ariely’s conclusions is that lying is contagious; we rationalize doing what we think others are getting away with – so if the elite cheat, why should the rest of us try to be better? The positive message of the film is that the lying habit can be curbed by mental reminders. Even an atheist is far less likely to cheat after swearing on a Bible. The truth is simple but lying is complex, in ways that are both creative and destructive. Lies versus literature: Blurry as the lines can be, there is, of course, a fundamental difference between truth and fiction: Truth should meet the test of external verifiability, though smart con artists make that difficult. Another story tied to the Syrian crisis is Canadian director Sophie Deraspe’s The Amina Profile, concerning the mysterious author of a blog known as A Gay Girl in Damascus. Deraspe uses re-‐enactments and an actress to get to the truth behind the story. Like another film in this year’s Hot Docs, The Cult of JT Leroy, about the century’s most prominent literary hoax, the impact of The Amina Profile may be diminished if you perform a fact check on the Internet. Or perhaps you may even remember the story from earlier episodes of that popular daily package of fact and fiction we call the news.
Haida Gwaii film wins top Hot Docs prize By: Cassandra Szklarski | May 1, 2015
http://metronews.ca/scene/1357127/haida-‐gwaii-‐film-‐wins-‐top-‐hot-‐docs-‐prize/ A $5,000 special jury prize went to Sophie Deraspe’s “The Amina Profile.”
Hot Docs 2015: Ten Foreign Affairs Documentaries To See By: Paul Willis | April 24, 2015
http://opencanada.org/features/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐ten-‐foreign-‐affairs-‐documentaries-‐to-‐see/ The Amina Profile “This experience has sadly only confirmed my feelings regarding the often superficial coverage of the Middle East and the pervasiveness of new forms of Liberal Orientalism.” The Amina Profile is a multi-‐layered story based around the uncovering of a prolific blogger who came to prominence around the time of the Syrian uprising. The documentary focuses on the mysterious online profile of “Gay girl in Damascus” blogger Amina Arraf and how her posts from the beginning of the Syrian conflict became a source for credible western media. Soon it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. The issue of how online profiles and documentations, however well intentioned, can have serious personal and public consequences when they are not authentic uncovers. Screenings: Sat April 25, 19.00, TIFF Bell Lightbox 1 Thu April 27, 13.00, Hart House Theatre
What to see this weekend at Hot Docs By: NOW Staff | April 27, 2015
https://nowtoronto.com/movies/hot-‐docs-‐2015/what-‐to-‐see-‐at-‐hot-‐docs-‐this-‐weekend/ >>> T HE A MINA P ROFILE This taut doc begins with a hot online affair between Montrealer Sandra Bagaria and the mysterious Amina, author of the online blog Gay Girl In Damascus, which then blows up thanks to a story in the Guardian. See review.
Hot Docs 2015 radiates with personal, high-‐stakes stories By: June Chua | April 20,2015
http://rabble.ca/columnists/2015/04/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐radiates-‐personal-‐high-‐stakes-‐stories Films for every taste There is a cornucopia of documentaries to chose from and it's impossible to encapsulate in one article. So, here are other films, in no particular order, for your consideration:
-‐The Amina Profile (dir. Sophie Deraspe)
Canadian Films at Hot Docs By: Ralph Lucas | April 20, 2015
http://www.northernstars.ca/News/01504201001_hotdocs.html The Amina Profile is an NFB film directed by Sophie Deraspe. The film centres on Montrealer Sandra Bagaria, who is having an erotic and intellectual online romance with Amina Arraf, a Syrian-‐American woman living in Damascus. As the Syrian uprising was being violently repressed, Arraf launched the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus, which quickly became a source for respected news media reports of on-‐the-‐ground stories of resistance. But when Arraf is abducted and Bagaria starts a campaign to free her, no one—not even the US State Department—can find a trace of her.
Updates from Hot Docs By: Staff | April 22, 2015
http://www.northernstars.ca/News/01504221105_hotdocs.html The festival is also hosting five Ontario premieres. Screening in the Canadian Spectrum program are Sophie Deraspe’s esperamos/NFB co-‐produced feature documentary The Amina Profile, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and Serge Giguère’s Productions du Rapide-‐Blanc/NFB co-‐ production Finding Macpherson, a captivating 10-‐year look at an artist at work, which was named Best Feature-‐Length Documentary at Quebec’s Jutra Awards on March 15.
HOT DOCS 2015: THE WRAP UP By: Steve Gow | May 3, 2015
http://www.strictlydocs.com/tag/hot-‐docs/ The 2015 edition of the Hot Docs has wrapped and as with another successful year, there is always a winner’s circle. This year, 12 awards and $61,000 in prizes were handed out to some of the lucky filmmakers who premiered or screened their documentaries in the esteemed festival. Among the top prizes went to films covering such a wide variety topics as aboriginal activism to an international story about a James Bond-‐type journalist in Ghana. Here are a list of just some of the big winners of Hot Docs 2015: Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature Documentary THE AMINA PROFILE (D: Sophie Deraspe; P: Isabelle Couture; Canada) Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada and DGC Ontario, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of Hot Docs.
Documentary about B.C.'s Haida Gwaii wins top prize from Hot Docs By: CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI | May 1, 2015
http://www.680news.com/2015/05/01/proposed-‐short-‐film-‐about-‐cree-‐code-‐talkers-‐wins-‐30000-‐pitch-‐ prize/ TORONTO – A film about the aboriginal rights activists, ecologists and locals who have worked together to rejuvenate British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii has won the best Canadian feature documentary award from the Hot Docs Festival. A $5,000 special jury prize went to Sophie Deraspe’s “The Amina Profile.”
Hot Docs Wraps with Awards By: Staff | May 2, 2015
http://www.northernstars.ca/News/01505020711_hotdocs.html Hot Docs wrapped its 2015 edition with the announcement of this year’s award-‐winning films and filmmakers. Hosted by Garvia Bailey the awards show was held at Toronto's Shangri-‐La Hotel. A total of twelve awards and $61,000 in cash and prizes were presented to Canadian and international filmmakers, including awards for Festival films in competition and those recognizing emerging and established filmmakers. The Special Jury Prize for Canadian Feature Documentary was presented to the NFB co-‐production, The Amina Profile directed by Sophie Deraspe and produced by Isabelle Couture. The story of an online love affair turned international thriller about identity. Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada and DGC Ontario, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of Hot Docs. The jury for the award said, "The Amina Profile took what was a news story and turned it into an emotional thriller. Sophie Deraspe created a documentary film of unexpected twists that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats."
HOT DOCS 2015: THE WINNERS By: Norman WIlner | May 2, 2015
https://nowtoronto.com/movies/hot-‐docs-‐2015/hot-‐docs-‐the-‐winners/ There are still a couple of days left in the 2015 edition of Hot Docs, but the festival has already named this year’s awards winners at a Friday evening ceremony at the Shangri-‐La hotel. Charles Wilkinson’s Haida Gwaii: On The Edge Of The World won the $10,000 best Canadian feature documentary award; Sophie Deraspe’s The Amina Profile won the special jury prize for Canadian feature documentary, which carries a $5,000 purse.
'Haida Gwaii' film wins top prize at Hot Docs By: Cassandra Szklarski | May 1, 2015
http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/haida-‐gwaii-‐film-‐wins-‐top-‐prize-‐at-‐hot-‐docs-‐1.2355245 TORONTO -‐-‐ A film about the aboriginal rights activists, ecologists and locals who have worked together to rejuvenate British Columbia's Haida Gwaii has won the best Canadian feature documentary award from the Hot Docs Festival. Director Charles Wilkinson's "Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World" claimed the $10,000 prize as the jury praised its "stunning cinematography." A $5,000 special jury prize went to Sophie Deraspe's "The Amina Profile."
The Closer We Get,” “The Living Fire” take top prizes at Hot Docs By: Barry Walsh | May 1, 2015
http://realscreen.com/2015/05/01/the-‐closer-‐we-‐get-‐the-‐living-‐fire-‐take-‐top-‐prizes-‐at-‐hot-‐docs/ The special jury prize for a Canadian feature documentary was awarded to The Amina Profile, directed by Sophie Deraspe. The tale of an online love affair turned international news story receives $5,000 in cash.
Haida Gwaii film wins top Hot Docs prize May 1, 2015
http://blackburnnews.com/bri-‐entertainment/2015/05/01/hot-‐docs-‐awards-‐prizes-‐for-‐short-‐film-‐pitches/ TORONTO -‐ A film about the aboriginal rights activists, ecologists and locals who have worked together to rejuvenate British Columbia's Haida Gwaii has won the best Canadian feature documentary award from the Hot Docs Festival. A $5,000 special jury prize went to Sophie Deraspe's "The Amina Profile."
Documentary about B.C.'s Haida Gwaii wins top prize from Hot Docs
By: Cassandra Szklarski | May 1, 2015
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-‐and-‐life/entertainment/movies/proposed-‐short-‐film-‐about-‐ cree-‐code-‐talkers-‐wins-‐30000-‐pitch-‐prize-‐302204971.html A $5,000 special jury prize went to Sophie Deraspe's "The Amina Profile."
“The Lindalee Tracey Award, which goes to an emerging Canadian filmmaker with a “passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice, and a sense of humor,”was presented to Yosef Baraki and his film “Mina Walking” By:
http://www.fnewsen.com/the-‐lindalee-‐tracey-‐award-‐which-‐goes-‐to-‐an-‐emerging-‐canadian-‐filmmaker-‐with-‐a-‐ passionate-‐point-‐of-‐view-‐a-‐strong-‐sense-‐of-‐social-‐justice-‐and-‐a-‐sense-‐of-‐humorwas-‐presented-‐to
Sophie Deraspe’s “The Amina Profile” took home the Special Jury Prize for Canadian feature doc, while Ryan Mullins’ “Chameleon” nabbed the Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award.
Hot Docs Announces 2015 Award Winners By: Carol | May 2, 2015
http://twinlensfilm.com/?p=8030 Hot Docs has just announced the winners of this year’s festival handing out $61,000 in cash and prizes to doc filmmakers from around the world for films in competition from both established and emerging filmmakers. Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature Documentary THE AMINA PROFILE (D: Sophie Deraspe; P: Isabelle Couture; Canada) Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada and DGC Ontario, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of Hot Docs.
Daily | Hot Docs 2015 By: David Hudson | April 25, 2015
https://www.fandor.com/keyframe/daily-‐hot-‐docs-‐2015 More awards: • An honorable mention in the Special Jury Prize category: Adam Lough’s Hot Sugar’s Cold World. • Best emerging international filmmaker award: Evangelia Kranioti’s Exotica, Erotica Etc. • Best mid-‐length documentary went to Søren Steen Jespersen and Nasib Farah’s Warriors From the North. Special mention: Adam Benzine’s Lanzmann, about Claude Lanzmann (Shoah). • Best Canadian feature documentary: Charles Wilkinson’s Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World. • Best short: Eleanor Mortimer’s Territory. Special mention: Sona Kocharyan and Marine Kocharyan’s How to Cross (From Jiliz to Jiliz). • The Special Jury Prize, Canadian Feature Documentary: Sophie Deraspe’s The Amina Profile. • The Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award: Ryan Mullins for Chameleon. • Yosef Baraki’s Mina Walking.
The Closer We Get’ Takes Top Award at Hot Docs By: Jennie Punter | May 1, 2015
http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/the-‐closer-‐we-‐get-‐hot-‐docs-‐1201485978/ Sophie Deraspe’s “The Amina Profile” took home the special jury prize for Canadian feature doc, while Ryan Mullins’ “Chameleon” nabbed the emerging Canadian filmmaker award.
HOT DOCS 2015 AWARDS ANNOUNCED By: Courtney Small | May 3, 2015
http://cinemaaxis.com/2015/05/03/hot-‐docs-‐2015-‐awards-‐announced/ Hot Docs is pleased to announce this year’s award-‐winning festival films and filmmakers. The Hot Docs Awards Presentation, hosted by Garvia Bailey, host of Good Morning Toronto! on Jazz.FM91, took place on Friday, May 1, at the Shangri-‐La Hotel, Toronto. Twelve awards and $61,000 in cash and prizes were presented to Canadian and international filmmakers, including awards for festival films in competition and those recognizing emerging and established filmmakers. The Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature Documentary was presented to THE AMINA PROFILE (D: Sophie Deraspe; P: Isabelle Couture; Canada), the story of an online love affair turned international thriller about identity. Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada and DGC Ontario, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of Hot Docs. Jury statement: “The Amina Profile took what was a news story and turned it into an emotional thriller. Sophie Deraspe created a documentary film of unexpected twists that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats.”
Amina's profile Sophie Deraspe, won the Special Jury Prize at the Festival HOT DOCS in Toronto By: The See Web Team | May 4, 2015 http://voir.ca/nouvelles/2015/05/04/le-‐profil-‐amina-‐de-‐sophie-‐deraspe-‐remporte-‐le-‐prix-‐special-‐du-‐jury-‐ au-‐festival-‐hot-‐docs-‐a-‐toronto/ Le profil Amina, de Sophie Deraspe, a remporté samedi dernier le prestigieux Prix spécial du Jury dans la catégorie Long-‐ métrage documentaire canadien au Festival Hot Docs, le plus grand et plus prestigieux événement consacré au documentaire en Amérique. Pour l’occasion, la cinéaste Sophie Deraspe et la coproductrice Isabelle Couture étaient sur place pour recevoir le prix, accompagné d’une bourse de 5000$. Le profil Amina raconte l'histoire d'amour virutelle entre une Montréalaise et une blogueuse syrienne qui s'avèrera finalement être un Américain de 40 ans. Sophie Deraspe, comme on vous le disait dans l'article que nous y avons consacré , « s'y interroge sur la notion d'information et démontre par l'exemple qu'il est impérieux, plus que jamais, de ralentir la cadence dans sa façon de s'informer et de rencontrer l'autre La couverture médiatique du film fut également louangeuse à Toronto: des critiques enthousiastes ont été publiées dans le Globe & Mail, le magazine NOW, le Torontoist et le Toronto Sun. Par ailleurs, le film prendra l'affiche à Toronto à l'automne prochain.
All pictures taken by GAT during the festival are located here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/97627695@N03/sets/72157651805446679
We have gathered social media reactions generated at Hot Docs here: https://storify.com/gatpr/the-‐amina-‐profile
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