As conflict continues to rage in Syria, Orwa Nyrabia, one of the country's most esteemed film producers and journalists, has gone missing. According to Gulf News, he failed to board a flight to Cairo yesterday. His family have not heard from him since and it is feared that he may have been arrested by the Syrian authorities, who view him as a dissident intellectual.
One of the founders of Proaction Films, Nyrabia is a former newspaper columnist whose work as a producer, director and actor has won him acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival. Director of Syria's DOX BOX International Documentary Film Festival and and editor of the film magazine Tafaseel, he is widely respected for his support of challenging documentaries. He recently received the 2012 European Documentary Award in Sarajevo.
Nyrabia has repeatedly spoken out about the activities of the Syrian regime and last year organised events in 38 cities around the world as a form of protest.
