‘The Cave’ Academy Award Nominated Doc Director Facing Myriad of Obstacles Blocking His Way to USA
Statement from Sigrid Dyekjær, Producer THE CAVE. Given to The Television Critics Association on 1/17/2020
We were hoping that Feras Fayyad could be here with us today.
As has been widely reported, in December Feras was denied an extended U.S. visa by the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen and has missed several industry events, including the IDA Awards and Cinema Eye Awards.
He has had quite the ordeal these past weeks.
While waiting on the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen to grant him another appointment, Feras received news that his aunt’s house was bombed and his parents’ and childhood home was in the line of fire in Syria.
As the oldest of 10, he feels a great responsibility for his siblings and his parents. So, instead of continuing to wait on the embassy, Feras went to Turkey to be as close to his family as possible and help in any way he could.
The past few weeks for Feras have been filled with a lot of fear. A lot of anger. A lot of anxiety.
He remained in Turkey until two days ago, when we had positive indications the embassy was willing to revisit his case.
Feeling his family is out of immediate danger for now, Feras decided to return to Denmark.
However, things escalated two nights ago when I got a phone call at 12.30 a.m. Feras had been detained on his way into Copenhagen by immigration police.
I rushed to the airport. Feras told me the police used unnecessary force in detaining him. The past month has been a lot for a man who has been imprisoned and tortured in Syria, and whose family is under threat and has siblings spread all over Europe.
Feras was distraught, exhausted and felt discriminated against. The police eventually released him into my care.
After this ordeal and given there was no way to get here by today, Feras is instead spending the weekend with his 5-year-old daughter — who hasn’t seen him in over six weeks.
Our next step is to go back to the embassy early next week and try again for the necessary visa so he can come to the U.S.
National Geographic has been communicating with the U.S. State Department, and we have had an overwhelming show of support from the documentary community and entertainment industry at large, including:
- The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences
- The Television Academy & The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- The Director’s Guild of America
- The International Documentary Association
- The Minister for Culture of Denmark
- The Danish Film Institute
- The association of Danish Film Directors
Feras is a filmmaker, but first and foremost he’s a Syrian. The Cave is a very personal film. It is dedicated to his seven sisters. To his daughter. To the unnamed women he witnessed being jailed and tortured in Syrian prisonsbecause they’re women.
Watch the trailer here.
His voice is important and it deserves to be heard, now more than ever. After all, we are talking about a brilliant filmmaker who is now a two-time Academy Award nominee — and my dear friend.
Feras — and all of us — thank you all for your continued support.
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Director, writer, producer, cinematographer, and editor Feras Fayyad is an Oscar nominated filmmaker. best known for his film Last Men In Aleppo which is won more than 30 Awards. The film premiered at the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where Fayyad won grand jury prize.
The film was released theatrically by The grasshopper film at May 2017 and had its broadcast premiere on POV/PBS in January 2017. Fayyad named one of GOOD Magazine’s 100 creative Global change-makers of 2014.
Previously, he directed and a feature-length documentary MY ESCAPE: The film focuses on the largest refugee crisis since the World War II — through the eyes of two boys out of the many thousands of children who are fleeing alone. It premiered on BBC 2015.
Fayyad works with special access subjects in the conflict zone and his last subject with Aljazeera under name between the fighter in Syria.
Fayyad edited several films, both documentary, and fiction. He has participated in international film festivals and received recognition for his work about contemporary Syrian issues and the political transformation in the world.
