
He goes from a clean, well-groomed middle class man to a filthy, swollen, bloodied mess within a really short space of time. The tension that is built through Daniel’s time in captivity is almost unbearable at times.

This simply adds to the uncertainty faced by Daniel’s family and his confusion as to why he has been taken in the first place. Even hostage negotiators did not know who or what they were dealing with. Set in 2013, this was a world that was unfamiliar with the tactics – and even the existence – of Islamic State.
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His torturers insist he must be a CIA spy and subject him to a torrent of psychological and physical abuses. From there, he decides to travel to the Syrian-Turkish border where he is captured.

A trip to Mogadishu gave him insight into bringing humanity within warzones to life an urge to show the world what is happening. Daniel was a talented gymnast, but a fateful leg injury saw his career end and a keen interest in photography emerge instead. Berthelsen co-direct this movie, which centres around the 398 days that Daniel Rye (Esben Smed) spent as a hostage of Islamic State. Based on Puk Damsgaard Andersen’s book, Held for Ransom focuses on the true story of Daniel Rye and his time spent at the hands of one of the most brutal, notorious terror groups of the century. There were American journalists, British aid workers and – at the focal point of this film – a Danish gymnast turned photographer. Their hostages varied in occupation and state of origin. These were hardened murderers, fueled by hate and a distorted world view. They were not there simply to issue warnings and prophecies. The terror group – whom many had never heard of until these videos – seemed to spring from nowhere in war-torn Syria but quickly became synonymous with graphic violence and fear.

There was a period of time where videos of the Islamic State or Daesh beheading foreign hostages made the headlines and front pages on an almost daily basis.
