For the besieged Syrian civilians, hope and safety lie underground, inside the subterranean hospital known as the Cave, where pediatrician and managing physician Dr. Amani Ballour and her colleagues Samaher and Dr. Alaa have claimed their right to work as equals alongside their male counterparts, doing their jobs in a way that would be unthinkable in the oppressively patriarchal culture that exists above. Following the women as they contend with daily bombardments, chronic supply shortages and the ever-present threat of chemical attacks, the film paints a stirring portrait of courage, resilience and female solidarity.
| Original title | The Cave |
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| Danish title | The Cave |
| Keywords | Syria, Civil wars, Hospitals, Women, Doctors, Courage, 2010-2019 |
| Director | Feras Fayyad |
| Screenplay | Alisar Hasan |
| Producer | Kirstine Barfod, Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær |
| Director of Photography | Muhammed Khair Al Shami, Ammar Sulaiman, Mohammad Eyad |
| Editor | Per K. Kirkegaard, Denniz Göl Bertelsen |
| Sound | Peter Albrechtsen |
| Composer | Matthew Herbert |
| Production country | Denmark, Syria, Germany, Qatar, United States |
| Production company | Danish Documentary Production |
| Domestic distribution | Camera Film, Det Danske Filminstitut |
| International sales | Dogwoof Ltd |
| Danish theatrical release | 09.01.2020 |
| Online release | 02.03.2020, Filmcentralen |
| Comment | Winner of the Grolsch People's Choice Documentary Award at Toronto Film Festival. The film is Feras Fayyad’s second documentary feature, following the Oscar-nominated 'Last Men in Aleppo' (2017) about Syria's White Helmets, which also took home top prizes at Sundance, CPH:DOX and the News and Documentary Emmy Awards, among others. |
| Danish rating | Allowed for children over the age of 15 |
Companies |
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| Production company | Danish Documentary Production |
| Co-production | Ma.Ja.De Filmproduktion, Hecat Studio Paris, Madam Films |
| With support from | National Geographic Documentary Films, International Media Support, Det Danske Filminstitut |
| In collaboration with | SWR, TV2 Danmark, Doha Film Institute, Sun Yat-sen Cultural Foundation, Doc Up Fund, Normandie for Peace |
| Domestic distribution | Camera Film, Det Danske Filminstitut |
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Direction |
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| Direction | Feras Fayyad |
| Consultant | Tómas Gislason |
| Consultant | Victor Kossakovsky |
| Consultant | Sebastian Klouborg |
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Script |
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| Screenplay | Alisar Hasan |
| Co-writer | Feras Fayyad |
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Production |
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| Producer | Kirstine Barfod |
| Producer | Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær |
| Executive producer | Carolyn Bernstein |
| Executive producer | Ryan Harrington |
| Executive producer | Matt Renner |
| Executive producer | Eva Mulvad |
| Executive producer | Pernille Rose Grønkjær |
| Executive producer | Mikala Krogh |
| Executive producer | Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær |
| Co-producer | Heino Deckert |
| Co-producer | Chadi Abo |
| Co-producer | Michelle Stapleton |
| Production manager | Tobias Vestergaard |
| Production manager | Liva Presscott |
| Post Producer | Cecilie Byder |
| Producer's assistant | Josef Riel Mahmud |
| Associate producer | Kasper Lykke Schultz |
| Production assistant | Camille Bildsøe |
| Production assistant | Signe Høi |
| Production assistant | Karina Bernaur |
| Post-production supervisor | Anders V. Christensen |
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Cinematography |
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| Cinematographer | Muhammed Khair Al Shami |
| Cinematographer | Ammar Sulaiman |
| Cinematographer | Mohammad Eyad |
| Underwater cinematographer | Kjetil Astrup |
| DIT | Frederik Münchow |
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Stills |
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| Still photographer | Stine M. Heilmann |
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Editing |
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| Editor | Per K. Kirkegaard |
| Editor | Denniz Göl Bertelsen |
| Editor: development | Olivia Neergaard-Holm |
| Assistant editor | Maja Bugge |
| Assistant editor | Troels Hansen |
| Assistant editor | Peter Jensen |
| Assistant editor | Jeppe Hansen |
| Assistant editor | Anders Kløverpris |
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Music |
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| Composer | Matthew Herbert |
| Music supervisor | Mikkel Maltha |
| Musical consultant | Louise Højgaard Johansen |
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Sound |
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| Sound designer | Peter Albrechtsen |
| Re-recording mixer | Lars Ginzel |
| Re-recording mixer | Tim Nielsen |
| Sound effect editor | Rana Eid |
| Sound effect editor | Mikkel Nielsen |
| Sound effect editor | Lars Halvorsen |
| Sound effect editor | Thomas Pape |
| Sound supervisor | Lars Ginzel |
| Dialogue editor | Theodora Flygt |
| Foley artist | Heikki Kossi |
| Foley mixer | Kari Vähäkuopus |
| Foley mixer | Anne Tolkkinen |
| ADR editor | Charlotte Munck |
| ADR editor | Fares Helou |
| Dialogue editor | Jaques Pedersen |
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Visual effects |
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| VFX supervisor | Anina Tang |
| Lightning | Johan Erenius |
| VFX supervisor | Per K. Kirkegaard |
| Technical assistant | Martin Munck Schmidt |
| Colourist | Sandra Klass |
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Animation |
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| Art director | Uffe Rønne Wagner |
| Lead animator | Troels Brusen |
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Other credits |
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| Diver | Henrik Dahl |
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Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Festival |
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| Audience Award | 2020 | Leuven, Docville 2020 |
| Peoples Choice Award | 2019 | Toronto International Film Festival 2019 |
Festival screenings
| Festival | Festival date |
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| Torun, Camerimage | 2020-11-14 |
| Message to Man | 2020-11-03 |
| Malmö Nordisk Panorama | 2020-09-17 |
| Warszawa, Against Gravity | 2020-09-04 |
| Tel Aviv Docaviv Int. Documentary Film Festival | 2020-09-03 |
| Leuven, Docville | 2020-03-25 |
| ZagrebDox | 2020-03-15 |
| Sofia International Film Festival | 2020-03-12 |
| Prague, One World Human Rights Film Festival | 2020-03-05 |
| Helsinki Doc Point Documentary Film Festival | 2020-01-27 |
| Göteborg International Film Festival | 2020-01-24 |
| Amsterdam, IDFA | 2019-11-20 |
| New York, DOC NYC Film Festival | 2019-11-07 |
| Busan International Film Festival | 2019-10-03 |
| London Film Festival | 2019-10-02 |
| Toronto International Film Festival | 2019-09-05 |
Det Danske Filminstitut registrerer international festivaldeltagelse og priser til danske film,
dog primært de titler, som Filminstituttet varetager i sin festivaldistribution,
og primært i forbindelse med de festivaler, som Filminstituttet har prioriteret at samarbejde med.
Registreringen af festivaldeltagelse og priser til danske film, der ikke er i festivaldistribution,
foretages kun for "launch"-festivaler ifølge Filminstituttets prioriterede festivalliste. Se listen over prioriterede festivaler.
Reviews and articles
On the library you can find these articles and revies and other material about the film.
| Type | Source | Author | Date |
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| Interview | Politiken-Fonden | Søndergaard, Bo | 2019-12-29 |
Watch the film
