Kinder des Kalifats / Of Fathers and Sons

For this film, Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki, who is currently in exile in Berlin, returned to his homeland where he gained the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years. His camera focuses primarily on the children, providing an extremely rare insight into what it means to grow up with a father whose only dream is to establish an Islamic caliphate. Osama (13) and his brother Ayman (12) both love and admire their father and obey his words, but while Osama seems content to follow the path of Jihad, Ayman wants to go back to school. “Of Fathers and Sons” is a work of unparalleled intimacy that captures the chilling moment when childhood dies and jihadism is born. The film has been nominated for the Academy Awards in the category “Documentary” and has won numerous awards at film festivals all over the world.