Von Einsiedel said he first became aware of the Syrian Defense Force when he and producer Joanna Natasegara were shown grainy YouTube footage of an infant being dug out from beneath rubble in the aftermath of a bombing.[8] After seeing the footage, Von Einsiedel reached out to the Mayday Rescue Foundation, which provides support to the White Helmets, to ask to join volunteers as they trained in Turkey. Shortly thereafter, Von Einsiedel commissioned Khaleed Khateeb, a volunteer for the Syrian Civil Defense who had been informally documenting rescue missions since 2013, to be the film's videographer.[9]
The film is available in 21 languages and 190 countries.[10]
"Crashing Down", an unreleased Plastic Beach track by Gorillaz featuring the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music, is played during the credits.[11]
