The Wrap’s Steve Pond broke the news that The White Helmets, a documentary short (currently streaming on Netflix) about rescuers in Syria who must sift through the rubble to find victims of a brutal and savage ongoing war and Trump’s inhumane, unAmerican muslim travel bad. While the filmmakers aren’t going to be preventing from attending, this news from The Wrap:
“We have always said that if we were to be nominated, we would bring Raed Saleh, the head of the White Helmets, who has spoken many times in D.C., and Khaled Khateeb, the young cinematographer who risked his life over and over again, as our guests,” said Natasegara. “They’ve been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize — these people are the bravest humanitarians on the planet, and the idea that they could not be able to come with us and enjoy that success is just abhorrent.”
The film follows members of the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, a civilian group that rushes to provide aid when bombs fall or attacks come in civilian neighborhoods. The group is credited with saving 75,000 lives during a bloody and extended war that has found Syrian civilians under attack by the Assad government, ISIS and the Russian military, among others.
It 4.1 Miles, along with Watani: My Homeland and The White Helmets are the three in Doc Short, but there is also Fire at Sea in the doc feature category that depicts this very important story. The Oscars aren’t important unless they are – and these filmmakers show us how they can shine a light on something many Americans refuse to see.
