Why you should watch Netflix's White Helmets, a docu on the unsung heroes of Syrian war

Syria’s civil war leaves thousands of Syrians injured or in need of intensive medical attention every day. The Syrian Civil Defense, a volunteer force dedicated to rescuing victims of bombings is one of the few civilian groups that is the first responder at the scenes of airstrike forces, pulling survivors from the rubble of collapsed apartment buildings and homes. [caption id=“attachment_3032302” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image courtesy: Youtube[/caption] The 3 000 member group is also known as the ‘White Helmets’. Their impressive efforts have earned them a Nobel Peace prize nomination, to be decided on 7 November 2016. More than 130 organisations from across the world have backed the White Helmets to win the prestigious international award for peace efforts. Following this, Netflix’s trailer for the 40 minute documentary, titled White Helmets, recounts the heroic efforts of normal Syrian citizens. Director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara wrote about how they came across the heroic rescue group in a blog on Indiewire:

“We were stunned when we first saw footage of them in action: a grainy YouTube video as they rescued a newborn baby from under three stories of a collapsed building.”

They go on to say how the west has such negative stereotypes of Muslims, and how they hope the stark contrast of the people in this film; people who risk their lives to save others will change that notion. The trailer for the documentary which was just released is set to a hair-raising rendition of  ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ and focuses on their rescue operations which will give you goosebumps:

The documentary film is available for streaming on Netflix.