The only ones standing in the way of ISIS’s illicit antiquities network are Amr Al Azm, an intrepid archeology professor, and his team of students. Faced with losing their cultural heritage, they take on the role of spies, going undercover in ISIS territory. Dodging bombs and militia, they create a system that allows them to monitor the theft and destruction of Syrian antiquities. What they discover is horrifying: the trafficking of thousands of items is being enabled not just by terrorists, but by multinational corporations as well. Artifact Wars delves into the cultural destruction caused by war, which should resonate with audiences concerned about human rights, the protection of cultural heritage, and global preservation efforts. Beyond revealing the tragedy of ongoing looting in conflict zones, the film highlights the work of the Achilles Research Group, a nonprofit collaborative dedicated to mapping the darker corners of the art market in an effort to document and retrieve stolen artifacts.