Ariel Nasr's documentary gives voice to the complex dilemmas faced by contemporary Afghanis under Canadian intervention. The film introduces us to young Afghan-Canadians torn between a deep desire to help Afghanistan and a fear that things will never change. Good Morning Kandahar asks whether Canada's mission in Afghanistan is failing.
This film was produced as part of the Reel Diversity Competition for emerging filmmakers of colour. Reel Diversity is a National Film Board of Canada initiative in partnership with CBC Newsworld.
This full-length documentary tells the story of 2 Afghans who return to Afghanistan in search of their families after a 16-year exile. Like many Afghan children, Soorgul and Amir were sent to Tajikistan during the Soviet occupation of their country. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the civil wars that broke out on both sides of the border left the children stranded, unable to leave the country until Canada accepted them as refugees.
The Sweetest Embrace tells an intimate story set against one of the world's most harsh and yet beautiful landscapes, in a land where life has been shaped by war and hardship but where spirit remains resilient.
This documentary introduces us to Captain Mark Sargent, chaplain to the Canadian peacekeepers (soldiers of the First Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) stationed in former Yugoslavia. It offers an intimate look at the work of this remarkable man as he travels from bunker to bunker and from village to village, ministering to soldiers and civilians caught in the bloody conflict that has torn apart the Balkans.
This film is part of the 3-part Protection Force Series about Canadian peacekeeping in former Yugoslavia.
A tribute to Canadian peacekeeper Mark Isfeld, or "Issy" as he was known to his fellow soldiers. In the first 3 years of UN peacekeeping activity in former Yugoslavia, 10 Canadian soldiers died. Many others were seriously injured, a number of whom were "engineers" – soldiers assigned the dangerous task of clearing land mines to create a safer environment for the local people. As we see in dramatic close-up, this is a painstaking job requiring great personal risk, nerves of steel and unwavering trust among soldiers. It's a job that cost Canadian peacekeeper Mark Isfeld his life.
This film is part of the 3-part Protection Force Series about Canadian peacekeeping in the former Yugoslavia.
This feature documentary offers a rare glimpse into the frontlines of democracy building through the eyes of a Canadian mother and her daughter. In the heart of Kosovo, an international mission struggles to bring democracy to a land torn apart by bloodshed. There, Canadian lawyer Carolyn McCool works to build bridges between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs, while her 20-year-old daughter Kate travels with a musical roadshow to generate grassroots support for the election among the youth.
A film made for the United Nations to chronicle its role in restoring peace in the Middle East after the Suez Crisis of October 1956.
Caught in the Crossfire is an in-depth and moving look at how Canadian soldiers keep peace in wartorn former Yugoslavia. Seen through the soldiers' eyes, it pays tribute to a community of men and women who have earned the respect of all sides in a bloody dispute. Throughout the film, we gain an awareness of the difficult work of our peacekeepers and of the successes that have resulted from our Canadian policy of refusing to take sides in the conflict.
This film is part of the 3-part Protection Force Series about Canadian peacekeeping in former Yugoslavia.
Filmmaker Paul Émile d'Entremont's documentary presents Reema, a lively and sensitive young girl confronted with difficult questions about her identity. After spending the first 16 years of her life with her Canadian mother, Reema re-connects with her Iraqi father by spending 2 months with him in Jordan. On returning home to Nova Scotia, she realizes she will always have a double identity, and that it is both a burden and a treasure.
A group of civilians embark on 12 weeks of intensive training that will see them gradually transformed into soldiers of the Canadian Armed Forces. For the third instalment in his documentary series about the different stages of life, Jean-François Caissy offers a compelling portrait of the military experience, charting the paths of young adults who have made this singular career choice.
In this documentary, old comrades in arms exorcise the demons of war with a rousing bout of paintball in the ruins of the hotel Orlando in beautiful Dubrovnik, Croatia. The former soldiers try simultaneously to remember and forget the terrible conflict that plunged Dubrovnik into chaos in 1991 and 1992. Frenetic footage of the bizarre paintball warriors is mixed with real footage of the conflict, offering a troubling look at the insanity of war.
This documentary looks at the events of June 6, 1944, when a combined force of American, British and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. The Allied invasion of occupied France was a turning point in the war against Hitler's Germany. From a tactical view, Canada's role was limited; strategically, it was pivotal. Part of the 3-part series The Valour and the Horror.
Meet an Air Force wife who discovers that she married into a lifestyle she hadn't chosen. When her husband joined the Air Force, Claire Corriveau discovered a world where everything was subordinate to the needs of the Canadian Forces. Her first film, the feature documentary Nomad's Land, powerfully depicts the hard existence of military wives.
Isolated, often lonely, forced to move repeatedly, these women have little control over their lives. This explosive film reminds us that they are the first collateral damage of an institution that, without their sacrifices and backstage work, would be unable to do its work. Their unsung contributions come at a high personal price. In French with English subtitles.