Skip to main content
Documentary backdrop image for Return to Homs (2013)
87 minNot RateddocumentaryWorth seeking out
6.7/ 10(73 ratings)• TMDB
Conflict
Deep Dive
Watch later

Synopsis

Nineteen-year-old Abdul Baset al-Sarout transforms from a national football team goalkeeper into a militia leader amid the devastation of Homs during the Syrian Civil War.

Go deeper

What Critics Say

Talal Derki's admirable film tracks key players in the resistance against Bashir al-Assad's regime.
Leslie FelperinRead full article
June 26, 2014
Deep Dive

Why Watch

  • Follow Abdul Baset al-Sarout's transformation from athlete to rebel.
  • See the impact of the Syrian Civil War on everyday lives.
  • Meet Ossama, a media activist documenting the conflict.

Did You Know

  • The film premiered at the 2013 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam on November 20, 2013.
  • Return to Homs won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
  • The film's TV rights were sold to five different networks across four countries.
  • It served as the closing film at the 2014 Human Rights Film Festival on March 28.

Perfect For

Syrian Civil WarDocumentary filmmakingHuman rights issues
Read full Deep Dive →
Frequently Asked Questions

Who directed the documentary Return to Homs?

Return to Homs was directed by Talal Derki.

What award did Return to Homs win at the Sundance Film Festival?

Return to Homs won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

What is the runtime of Return to Homs?

The runtime of Return to Homs is 87 minutes.

Awards & Festivals

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

The White Helmets (2016)
Worth an evening
40m

The White Helmets

2016•40m•★7.4TMDB

Three volunteers from the White Helmets respond to airstrikes in Aleppo, digging through rubble to rescue victims trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

The White Helmets
2016
Stolen Revolution: inside the Free Syrian Army (2024)
55m

Stolen Revolution: inside the Free Syrian Army

2024•55m

Three-quarters of young Syrians are currently in jail, as former fighters from the Free Syrian Army recount how their revolution was overtaken by extremists.

Stolen Revolution: inside the Free Syrian Army
2024
On the Frontline of the Battle for Syria (2013)
29m

On the Frontline of the Battle for Syria

2013•29m

In Aleppo, rebels led by former army colonel Abu Muhammad face the brutal realities of the Syrian conflict, struggling with discipline amid ongoing violence.

On the Frontline of the Battle for Syria
2013
These Syrian Children Are Dodging Bombs To Get To School (2013)
27m

These Syrian Children Are Dodging Bombs To Get To School

2013•27m

Four million people live in Aleppo, where children like 11-year-old Ibrahim dodge bombs on their way to school amid the ongoing civil war.

These Syrian Children Are Dodging Bombs To Get To School
2013
Inside the Free Syrian Army (2016)
20m

Inside the Free Syrian Army

2016•20m

This powerful exclusive shows the Free Syrian Army's secret caves in the fight for Syria.

Inside the Free Syrian Army
2016
Back to Syria? (2025)
31m

Back to Syria?

2025•31m

Mohammad 'Mo' Rabie returns to Syria after the civil war to search for his missing brother Ahmad and assess his future between Syria and Germany.

Back to Syria?
2025
Syria's Stolen Children (2026)
25m

Syria's Stolen Children

2026•25m

In Syria, thousands of children of dissidents have been forcibly taken and placed in orphanages under false identities, with Asma el-Assad implicated in this systematic crime.

Syria's Stolen Children
2026
Syria's Returning Refugees (2017)
20m

Syria's Returning Refugees

2017•20m

Millions of Syrians, including Aboud, risk dangerous returns to Syria amid ongoing conflict.

Syria's Returning Refugees
2017
Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs! (2024)
53m

Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs!

2024•53m

In war-torn Aleppo, a family navigates the challenges of survival under Bachar El-Assad's Army while reflecting on the impact of civil war on their children's lives.

Battle for Aleppo: Childhood between Kalashnikovs and Bombs!
2024
Syria: Aleppo After Assad (2025)
25m

Syria: Aleppo After Assad

2025•25m

Aleppo faces a complex transition following the November 2024 opposition coalition's takeover, as Ahmad, Razan, and Joseph navigate new challenges and hopes.

Syria: Aleppo After Assad
2025
IF YOU LOVE THIS Planet (2015)
Worth seeking out
26m

IF YOU LOVE THIS Planet

2015•26m

Dr. Helen Caldicott emphasizes the urgent need for nuclear disarmament through a powerful lecture, supported by archival footage of Hiroshima's aftermath.

IF YOU LOVE THIS Planet
2015
Fallout: The Terrifying Dawn Of The Atomic Age (2024)
51m

Fallout: The Terrifying Dawn Of The Atomic Age

2024•51m

As many as 70,000 people are instantly killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, marking the start of the nuclear age.

Fallout: The Terrifying Dawn Of The Atomic Age
2024

Explore Return to Homs

TrailerCast & CrewAwardsDeep DiveTopicsFAQStream

Browse more like this

Under the Wire (2018)
Worth an evening
1h35m

Under the Wire

2018•1h35m•★8.1TMDB

One journalist and one photographer enter Homs, Syria, on February 12, 2012, to report on the suffering of civilians amid military attacks.

Under the Wire
2018
Silvered Water (2014)
Worth an evening
1h32m

Silvered Water

2014•1h32m•★6.9TMDB

1,001 Syrians contributed footage documenting the destruction and atrocities of the civil war in their country.

Silvered Water
2014
Cries from Syria (2017)
Worth seeking out
1h52m

Cries from Syria

2017•1h52m•★7.2TMDB

Over 5 million Syrians have fled their homes due to the ongoing civil war, seeking safety and stability amid widespread violence and humanitarian crises.

Cries from Syria
2017
Still Recording (2018)
Worth an evening
1h56m

Still Recording

2018•1h56m•★7.7TMDB

Two young filmmakers in Eastern Ghouta establish a local radio station and recording studio to document their community's struggles during the Syrian conflict.

Still Recording
2018
Of Fathers and Sons (2017)
Worth seeking out
1h39m

Of Fathers and Sons

2017•1h39m•★7.0TMDB

Talal Derki spent 330 days filming a family in Syria, where the father trains his son Osama for combat while his younger brother Ayman wants to return to school.

Of Fathers and Sons
2017
Born in Syria (2016)
Worth a watch
1h26m

Born in Syria

2016•1h26m•★7.2TMDB

More than 5 million children have fled Syria since the start of the civil war, facing challenges of displacement and integration in foreign countries.

Born in Syria
2016
Our Memory Belongs to Us (2021)
Worth an evening
1h33m

Our Memory Belongs to Us

2021•1h33m•★8.0TMDB

Three Syrian activists reunite on a theatre stage in Paris nearly a decade after the Syrian revolution, reflecting on their personal journeys amid brutal footage.

Our Memory Belongs to Us
2021
A Syrian Love Story (2015)
Worth an evening
1h16m

A Syrian Love Story

2015•1h16m•★6.8TMDB

Four years of conflict force Raghda and Amer to confront the dangers of life under the Assad regime while raising their two children in Syria.

A Syrian Love Story
2015
The Lost Souls of Syria (2023)
Worth a watch
1h39m

The Lost Souls of Syria

2023•1h39m•★7.3TMDB

Twenty-seven thousand leaked photos of tortured corpses from Syrian detention centers reveal the brutality of Bashar Al Assad's regime.

The Lost Souls of Syria
2023
The Soviet Garden (2019)
1h16m

The Soviet Garden

2019•1h16m•★5.0TMDB

A filmmaker from Moldova investigates the impact of Soviet atomic gardening experiments on agriculture and the environment in the region.

The Soviet Garden
2019
People of the Wasteland (2018)
21m

People of the Wasteland

2018•21m•★6.0TMDB

Exclusive Go-Pro footage captures frontline fighters in Syria during intense clashes amid violence and uncertainty.

People of the Wasteland
2018
The Last Summer of the GDR: Freedom and Anarchy (2024)
44m

The Last Summer of the GDR: Freedom and Anarchy

2024•44m

In East Germany, the months leading up to reunification with West Germany in 1989 brought both excitement and confusion as citizens navigated newfound freedoms and societal changes.

The Last Summer of the GDR: Freedom and Anarchy
2024

Browse more by Talal Derki

View all films →
Of Fathers and Sons (2017)
Worth seeking out

Of Fathers and Sons

2017

Under the Sky of Damascus (2023)

Under the Sky of Damascus

2023

Related Films

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →