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The Van Doos in Afghanistan

In this documentary, we hear directly from francophone soldiers serving in the Royal 22e Régiment (known in English as “Van Doos”) who were filmed in the field in March 2011, during their deployment to Afghanistan. They speak simply and directly about their work, whether on patrol or performing their duties at the base. The film's images and interviews bring home the complexity of the issues on the ground and shed light on the little-understood experiences of the men and women who served in Afghanistan.
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In this documentary, we hear directly from francophone soldiers serving in the Royal 22e Régiment (known in English as “Van Doos”) who were filmed in the field in March 2011, during their deployment to Afghanistan. They speak simply and directly about their work, whether on patrol or performing their duties at the base. The film's images and interviews bring home the complexity of the issues on the ground and shed light on the little-understood experiences of the men and women who served in Afghanistan.

National Security and Defence War, Conflict and Peace All subjects
  • participant
    Michel-Henri Saint-Louis
    Stéphane Guillemette
    David Girard
    Haji Fazludin Agha
    Dean J. Milner
    Laurent Charrette
    Patrick Auger
    Pascal Croteau
    Jimmy Lavallière
    Maxime Émond-Pépin
    Jean-Michel Cloutier
    Éric Beauchamp
    Christian Marquis
    Yves Roy
    François Dufault
    Stéphane Perreault
  • director
    Claude Guilmain
  • production manager
    Doris Lapierre
  • director of photography
    François Vincelette
  • sound recordist
    Mélanie Gauthier
  • stills photographer
    Claude Guilmain
  • editor
    France Pilon
  • assistant editor
    Jonathan Worman
    Isabelle Painchaud
    Patrick Trahan
    Pierre Dupont
    Christopher Logan
  • original music
    Daniel Toussaint
  • online editor
    Yannick Carrier
  • title design
    Gaspard Gaudreau
  • subtitles
    Robert Gray
  • sound editor
    Daniel Toussaint
  • foley artist
    Lise Wedlock
  • mixer
    Jean Paul Vialard
  • marketing manager
    Julie Arseneault
  • marketing assistant
    Karine Sévigny
  • administrator
    Alexandrine Torres de Figueiredo
  • administrative assistant
    Ai Rei Dooh-Tousignant
    Vanessa Emam
  • technical coordinator
    Daniel Claveau
  • producer
    Anne-Marie Rocher
  • executive producer
    Jacques Turgeon

Education

Ages 14 to 17

Study Guide

Guide 1

Notes

Before the film, invite students to sum up their views of soldiers in five sentences. Afterwards, ask them whether their initial impressions have changed. How does this film differ from the usual media images of soldiers? Does it promote or avoid clichés? How do the soldiers interact with the Afghan people, allies and insurgents?

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The Van Doos in Afghanistan
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