City of Ghosts
Located in Syria, on the banks of the Euphrates and about two hours south of the Turkish border, Raqqa was a sleepy town until 2013, when it became the first city to proclaim freedom from the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Less than two years later, the city’s revolutionary momentum came to an abrupt halt when it was captured by ISIS, becoming the organization’s center of operations. City of Ghosts, the latest from documentarian Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land), recounts the concise but heady history of ongoing resistance in Raqqa—and examines why the men at the forefront of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) opt to fight ISIS’ arms with their words.
by Emilly Prado