Talal Derki’s Sundance Jury Prize-winning doc, shot over two years, provides an unflinching insider’s view of the Syrian conflict which has killed thousands and forced millions from their homes since 2011. Focusing on a small band of rebels led by charismatic national football player Abdul Basset Al-Sarout, extraordinary frontline footage of an increasingly unrecognisable Homs charts how peaceful protests progressed to full-blown civil war.

Recent news that the besieged ‘Capital of the Revolution’ has been retaken by the government forces renders the wounded Basset&rsquo♔;s impassioned plea that “blood not be wasted in vain” all the more poignant😼.