Tawfik Sabouni’s documentary “The Other Side of the Sun,” which premiered in the Panorama section of this year’s Berlinale, has been selected to represent Syria in the best international feature film category at the 2027 Academy Awards. It is the country’s first Oscar entry since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024.
Meanwhile, Andana Films, which handles worldwide sales for “The Other Side of the Sun,” announced that New York-based Icarus Films has acquired U.S. rights to the documentary.
In “The Other Side of the Sun,” Sabouni returns to Damascus in the wake of the Assad regime’s collapse and meets four former detainees of the notorious Saidnaya prison. Through reenactments shot inside the facility, the film turns memory into testimony, revealing resilience and an unbroken will to survive.
The selection was announced by Syria’s General Organization for Cinema and represents the first choice made by the country’s newly formed, AMPAS-accredited committee, underscoring a new chapter in Syria’s participation in the international awards landscape.
“The selection of ‘The Other Side of the Sun’ arrives within a distinctive cinematic and humanitarian context,” the organization said. “The film explores imprisonment at Saydnaya Prison, one of the most prominent detention sites linked to Syria’s recent history. It draws on Sabouni’s own experience as a former detainee, alongside four other survivors.”
Sabouni commented: “I am deeply happy and moved by this selection. This moment represents the culmination of years of effort, during which I carried this film alone despite doubts and obstacles. To see it reach this stage is an immense personal and collective victory. Beyond the artistic journey, its true significance lies in giving voice to those whom others sought to silence. The stories of those who lost their lives in the prisons of the Assad regime will never be forgotten.”
Following its Berlinale premiere, “The Other Side of the Sun” screened at several international festivals and won prizes at the Amman International Film Festival in Jordan.
The documentary is produced by France’s Dérives, Habilis Productions, and Clin d’Oeil Films.
The 2027 Oscar shortlist will be announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Dec. 15, with nominations revealed on Jan. 21. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 14 in Los Angeles.
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