Oftentimes, the truth is spared, not to be uncovered through news channels or word of mouth, but to be documented through film lenses that have been acclaimed for their artistry. City of Ghosts happens to be one such number, where the Oscar-nominated Matthew Heineman took his tools a step further, from Cartel Land's Mexican grounds and focused on Syria, and its tryst of survival under extremist regimes. Told in a tongue familiar to its motherland of Syria, City of Ghosts was released in 2017 to prestigious premieres and streaming rights that were sought after by a name as big as Amazon. 

What remains to be known, almost a decade later, is whether the documentary is within reach of both experience and the truth.

  Yes, the story behind the documentary City of Ghosts is indeed inspired by the reality of the town of Raqqa in Syria. After receiving an Academy Award nomination for his 2016 documentary Cartel Land, Matthew Heineman seemingly decided to stay faithful to the vérité genre films. This eventually landed him on a deep dive into a citizen journalist group and their navigation of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-led Syria. 

City of Ghosts, a true story with a gut-wrenching core that is just emotionally wrecking to watch on screen, can be streamed online on Amazon Prime. Currently, one may rent, purchase, or stream the film in the US by subscribing to Prime Video with Ads, Prime Video, or Prime Video Free with Ads.  

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To have the trajectory set into the lens, the truth, however, still needed to be put down on paper and turned into a plot fit for an award-winning portfolio. 

The 2017 documentary City of Ghosts, follows a group of journalists from Raqqa, Syria, by the name of Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), who try to confront the fanatics who have transformed their hometown into the capital of ISIS. They record and reveal the everyday conditions and horrors through social media, secret and illegal internet connections, and hidden cameras.

Despite the dangers involved, the group's efforts depict the reality of Raqqa and put it out there for the world to see. Just a crew of ordinary citizens, but they are determined to do their fair share to bring about big change.

Coincidentally, Heineman read an article in the New Yorker about the organization Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently and their efforts to make a difference in their hometown. He instantly decided that this was a story worth telling to the world and immediately boarded a train to meet them. The documentary film effectively illustrates the role that media will play in our struggle for the future with such urgency and conviction.

City of Ghosts and other documentaries on important topics give us a chance to see the world for what it is and what we can do to make it a better place.

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What do you think of the story behind City of Ghosts? Were you aware of it, or did you just find out now? Share your thoughts in the comments.