Timothy Grucza

Theo Who Lived

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.

First to Fall

First to Fall follows two young civilian expatriate 'rebels' on their 8-month journey to liberate Libya, their home country. Carrying cameras along with guns into battle, they took lenses where no documentary has gone before, capturing the madness of the Libyan front lines firsthand. Director Rachel Beth Anderson's distinct female perspective reveals their dramatic transformation as these young men give up comfortable, stable lives in Canada to take up arms against a corrupt regime and risk their lives in a brutal, chaotic war. Anderson's incredible access provides audiences a personal connection to this honest, witty, at times shocking, modern coming of age tale.

Koran by Heart

In this 80-minute documentary, three 10-year-old children leave their native countries to participate in one of the Islamic world’s most famous competitions, a test of memory and recitation known as The International Holy Koran Competition. Up against much older students, these youngsters have committed the 600 pages of the Koran to memory, and will put their skills to the test before the elite of the world’s Muslim community in Cairo, Egypt. In the midst of this intense international competition, the three young competitors –two boys from Senegal and Tajikistan, and one girl from the Maldives – face uncertain futures at home, as they are caught between fundamentalist and moderate visions of Islam. The children discuss their recitation techniques – with accompanying, completely improvised melodies – and talk about their nerves and excitement as they finally compete before a panel of judges.