DocLands Film Festival 2021 presents a conversation with '9 Days in Raqqa' Director Xavier de Lauzanne with DocLands Director of Programming, Joni Cooper.

At just 30 years old, Leila Mustapha, a Kurdish Syrian civil engineer by trade, has become the mayor of Raqqa, Syria. Once known as the capital of ISIS, Raqqa was left in ruins following a violent civil war, but the newly elected mayor Mustapha has big dreams of rebuilding the northeastern Syrian city. In this riveting, inspiring film which was one of the three documentaries selected for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, filmmaker Xavier de Lauzanne follows French writer Marine de Tilley over the course of nine days as she travels to the still dangerous city of Raqqa to chronicle Mustapha, a woman operating in a predominantly man’s world, and her ambitious plan to restore democracy. With bravery and a rare openness, Mustapha offers her unique personal story alongside a bold vision for reconciliation and hope for a new future for a city with a dark, perilous history—in this remarkable “feminist” look at contemporary Syria.

About DOCLANDS
Presented by the California Film Institute, DocLands Documentary Film Festival brings compelling stories and the provocative insights behind them to Marin County, California May 7-16, 2021. Expanding upon the exchange of ideas and inspiration through public screenings, engaged conversations and grassroots networking events, DocLands aims to build an active, involved, fully supportive community around documentary film, dedicated to initiating connections and partnerships that will illuminate and invigorate the business and art of non-fiction filmmakers.

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Art of Impact engages and sparks action by sharing stories that open our eyes to the global community and its disparate cultures, politics, personal narratives, and biographies.

The Great Outdoors transports us outside to truly appreciate, explore, and ultimately compel us to save and conserve our environment and the wilds of our precious and precarious planet.

WonderLands lifts our spirits through stories of joy, wonder, and possibility.

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