MTV Documentary Films has announced the theatrical release of ‘Death Without Mercy’ (working title) on 3rd May. Directed by Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab, an Oscar nominee for her documentary ‘For Sama,’ the film recounts the catastrophic earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria one year ago this week, claiming the lives of over 50,000 people.
Paramount+ will stream the documentary film later this year. Produced by Sheila Nevins, the trailer has the first look at the film.
‘Death Without Mercy’ employs a blend of footage including CCTV recordings, first-person documentary footage captured from beneath the rubble, some shot on cell phones, drone footage, as well as news and archival footage. Through these mediums, the film paints a vivid and harrowing portrait of the earthquake’s devastating impact. The initial quake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, struck in the early hours of February 6, 2023, followed by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hours later.
MTV Documentary Films released a statement: “As the filmmaker shows, was both a natural disaster and a human-made disaster”.
“In the aftermath of the earthquakes there was no universal effort to save the injured and the dying under the rubble. Civilians were forced to use their hands and shovels to dig up loved ones and strangers, while the world looked the other way… Death Without Mercy (working title) is chronologically assembled from the reports of hundreds of newscasters, cameramen, and civilians representing the days following this tragic event,” read the statement.
Before the February 6 tragedy, several Syrian families had relocated to southern Turkey to escape the ravages of the civil war in Syria. The documentary focuses on the families of Fadi al-Halabi, renowned as the lead cinematographer of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘The White Helmets,’ and ‘Fuad’.
These families serve as poignant representations of the many stories unfolding in southern Turkey, where Syrian refugee families sought refuge to begin anew, only to have their lives upended by the earthquake.
Both Fadi and Fuad were away on business when the earthquake struck, and the film chronicles their frantic journey back home as they attempt to locate their loved ones. Their narratives include tales of miraculous survival as well as harrowing loss.
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