January 14, 2015 - Montreal, Quebec - National Film Board of Canada
What began as a love story between two women turned into an international socio-political thriller―spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood in the Internet age.
Now, the story behind this incredible true-life drama is the subject of a new feature documentary. The Amina Profile, directed by Sophie Deraspe and co-produced by Montreal-based production company esperamos and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), premieres in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival (January 22 to February 1, 2015).
The Amina Profile explores the story of “Amina Arraf,” a Syrian-American revolutionary whose blog A Gay Girl in Damascus acquires a huge following as the Syrian uprising gains momentum. Sandra Bagaria, a smart young Montreal professional, is involved in an online affair with her when Amina is allegedly abducted by the Syrian secret police—sparking an international movement to save her from torture, rape or even death.
Playing out like a detective story, The Amina Profile involves American intelligence agencies, major global media outlets, and a host of activists and sympathizers. But what started as a love story becomes the tale of an unprecedented media and sociological hoax, infotainment, deceit and betrayal.
Travelling from San Francisco to Istanbul, Washington, Tel Aviv and Beirut, director Sophie Deraspe chronicles Bagaria’s quest to track down the key players who will ultimately reveal the identity of her erstwhile lover. Deraspe’s stunning cinematography mixes feminine sensuality and revolutionary fervour, immersing viewers in the Middle East as they join her on the trail of an elusive quarry. Examining desire and the notion of true connection, The Amina Profile explores the gap between self and other, fantasy and authenticity.
Quick Facts
• Sundance Film Festival screenings
Saturday, January 24 at 9 p.m. at the Temple Theatre (World Premiere)
Sunday, January 25 at 3 p.m. at the Salt Lake City Library Theatre
Monday, January 26 at 3:30 p.m. at the Redstone Cinema 1
Thursday, January 29 at 3 p.m. at the Temple Theatre
Friday, January 30 at noon at the Egyptian Theatre
• The Amina Profile is written and directed by Sophie Deraspe, and produced by Isabelle Couture (esperamos) and Nathalie Cloutier (NFB). The executive producers are Hugo Latulippe, Michel St-Cyr and Guy Villeneuve (esperamos), Colette Loumède (NFB). The film is being released in French as Le profil Amina.
• Filmmaker Sophie Deraspe fell into cinema through visual arts and literature. As both a director and a cinematographer, she worked mostly in documentary before directing her realism-bending first feature-length film, Missing Victor Pellerin (2006). Followed by critical acclaim and screenings throughout the world, Sophie’s realistic work continued with her second feature film, Vital Signs (2009), which premiered in Rotterdam and won 15 prizes around the world. Sophie has just completed her third feature film, The Wolves.
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Trailer: http://youtu.be/JSMKXg0qSpU
Associated Links
Complete public screening schedule for The Amina Profile at the Sundance Film Festival:
http://www.sundance.org/projects/the-amina-profile
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Media Relations
Melissa Than, NFB Publicist
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About the NFB
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) creates groundbreaking interactive works, social-issue documentaries and auteur animation. The NFB has produced over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 9 Canadian Screen Awards, 10 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access acclaimed NFB content, visit NFB.ca or download its apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.
