City of Ghosts
Citizen journalists from Raqqa risk everything to document ISIS atrocities and preserve their community’s voice from exile.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- urgent
- intimate
- serious viewing
- human rights film night
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed the documentary for its hard-hitting, intimate ground-level portrayal of Syrian activists confronting ISIS and the human devastation of war.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film follows anonymous activists through undercover work, flight, exile, and the personal consequences of documenting ISIS atrocities.
Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently operates as a network of citizen journalists risking their lives to report from ISIS-controlled territory.
The activists live undercover, on the run, or in exile while facing threats connected to both their reporting and the conflict.
Its stated aim and critical reception emphasize a hard-hitting, ground-level view of the Syrian tragedy for audiences who may see the region as distant.
Films like City of Ghosts, and why
For Sama
shares ground-level documentary realism, wartime testimony, and an urgent focus on civilian resistance to political violence
The Cave
shares investigative documentary methods, contemporary conflict reporting, and exposure of institutionalized violence
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
shares courageous citizen journalism, authoritarian repression, and intimate access to people living under threat
The Look of Silence
shares hard-hitting documentary realism, political testimony, and the emotional cost of war on ordinary people
Movie Details
- Director
- Matthew Heineman
- Release Date
- 2017-07-14
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (96)
Cast
- Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
- Hamoud
- Hassan
- Hussam
- Naji Jerf
- Mohamad
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is City of Ghosts about?
- Citizen journalists from Raqqa risk everything to document ISIS atrocities and preserve their community’s voice from exile.
- What is City of Ghosts like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of City of Ghosts as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is City of Ghosts violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in City of Ghosts as graphic.
- What did critics think of City of Ghosts?
- Critics broadly acclaimed the documentary for its hard-hitting, intimate ground-level portrayal of Syrian activists confronting ISIS and the human devastation of war.
- Which films are like City of Ghosts?
- Films with a similar feel include For Sama, The Cave, Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, and The Look of Silence.
- How long is City of Ghosts?
- City of Ghosts runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch City of Ghosts?
- In United States, City of Ghosts streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
