Any journalist traveling to the Middle East is aware of the dangers that reporting from the region can bring, and unfortunately for some, that risk becomes all too real. Kidnappings are a threat particularly for western reporters and for Theo Padnos, a struggling journalist, his trip to report on Syria’s civil war took on a harrowing dimension, and he recounts every step of the journey in the upcoming documentary “Theo Who Lived.”
Directed by David Schisgall, the film follows Padnos himself, who headed to Syria in late 2012, was suspected of being a CIA agent, and was subsequently kidnapped, tortured, and held captive for nearly two years. That he survived is remarkable, but that’s just the start of his incredible story. Here’s the official synopsis:
In the late fall of 2012, Theo Padnos, a struggling American journalist, slipped into Syria to report on the country’s civil war and was promptly kidnapped by Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria. Because he spoke fluent Arabic, his captors suspected he worked for the CIA and, for months, brutally tortured him during interrogation sessions. But his fluency, coupled with his remarkable personal expansiveness, also led to an extraordinary engagement with, and understanding of, his captors. By the time of his release, twenty-two months later, he had become a confidante of al-Qaeda’s top commander in Syria. In THEO WHO LIVED, Padnos returns to the Middle East and retraces the physical and emotional steps of his harrowing journey, performing his memories, and enacting the fantasy world he created as means of mental escape. A gripping narrative that includes betrayal among the imprisoned, unlikely friendships, and thwarted escapes, THEO WHO LIVED is an intimate portrait of personal resilience, and grace in the face of hate.
The film will have its U.S. theatrical premiere on September 30th at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York, followed by a nation-wide roll out to select cities. Check out our exclusive trailer and poster.
