Maison 4:3 and Metafilms have announced the theatrical release of ROJEK, a feature documentary written and directed by Zaynê Akyol (Gulîstan, Land of Roses). ROJEK features interviews with some of the most important members of the Islamic State (ISIS), who are currently being detained in Syrian Kurdistan. As a backdrop, a country is trying to stay vigilant as it struggles to recover from years of war. The film will open in theatres in Quebec on January 20, 2023.

Produced by Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre, Sylvain Corbeil and Zaynê Akyol, ROJEK has been presented and rewarded in many international festivals. After a world premiere at Visions du réel, the film received the DGC Special Jury Prize for a Canadian feature film at its Canadian premiere at Hot Docs. It has also been awarded in Armenia, the Czech Republic, Norway, Spain, France and Manitoba. ROJEK was presented for the first time in Quebec at the recent edition of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM).

ROJEK encounters incarcerated members of the Islamic State from all over the world, as well as their wives detained in prison-camps, who are sharing a common dream: establishing a caliphate. Confronted with the fundamentalist beliefs of the jihadists, the film attempts to trace the beginning, the rise and fall of the Islamic State (ISIS) through their personal stories. These conversations are the thread along which the documentary evolves, as it is intertwined with various sequences depicting current, post-war Syrian Kurdistan.

ROJEK offers an intimate gaze at an unknown reality, testifying of pivotal moments experienced by the actors of this conflict. The film tackles how this ideological war is only the beginning of a new kind of threat.

Documentary feature. Quebec/Canada. 128 minutes. 2022.

Original Arabic, English, French and Kurdish version with French or English subtitles.

Directing: Zaynê Akyol | Screenplay: Zaynê Akyol | Cinematography: Nicolas Canniccioni, Arshia Shakiba | Sound: Arshia Shakiba, Sylvain Brassard | Editing: Mathieu Bouchard-Malo | Music: Roger Tellier-Craig | Producers: Sylvain Corbeil, Zaynê Akyol, Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre | Production: Metafilms | Distribution (Canada): Maison 4:3


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