The 26th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) will open on 20 November with Return to Homs by Syrian director Talal Derki.

Return to Homs, which was filmed from August 2011 to August 2013, is about a group of young revolutionary friends in the large city of Homs in Western Syria. They dream of their country being liberated from president Bashar al-Assad, and are fighting for justice through peaceful protest. As the army’s repression becomes ever harsher and their city is transformed into a ghost town, the young protestors are transformed into armed rebels. The film focuses in on two friends: charismatic 19-year-old keeper of the national football team Basset and 24-year-old cameraman and media activist Ossama. As viewers, we are drawn in and almost feel part of their group, giving us an insider’s impression of the war. "The world is looking on as we are murdered, one by one, and remains silent as the grave”, the director says in one of his few comments.

Director Talal Derki (Damascus, 1977) graduated in 2003 from the film academy in Athens. He has made a number of short films and documentaries, including A Full Line of Trees (2005), Hero of all Seas (2010) and Lajat (2012). The film was produced by Orwa Nyrabia (Syria) and Hans Robert Eisenhauer (Germany).

Return to Homs is also competing for the VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary, which IDFA presents for the best full-length documentary. On Friday 29 November, the winners of IDFA’s various competition programmes will be announced at the closing ceremony in Amsterdam’s Compagnietheater.