Good Morning Kandahar

Reel Diversity. ;The Reel Diversity competition is a National Film Board of Canada initiative in partnership with CBC Newsworld. ;Atlantic Centre.

Director, Ariel Nasr ; producer, Annette Clarke ; writer, Ariel Nasr ; editor, Angela Baker ; director of photography, Andrew Watt ; sound recordist, Aram Kouyoumdjian ; consultant, Martin Lavut ; original music composer, David Christensen ; sound editor, Alex Salter ; re-recording, Jean Paul Vialard.

“My country fights a war in my father’s country. And I look on with a growing
sense of confusion.” So Ariel Nasr begins his powerful new documentary, Good
Morning Kandahar, which gives poignant voice to the dilemmas
felt by thousands of young Afghans around the world – many in surprising
places – as they grapple with events in their homeland.

Good Morning Kandahar introduces us to young
men and women torn between a deep desire to help Afghanistan and fear that
things will never change. Some are enthusiastic. There’s ‘Dewa’, who
broadcasts pop songs, recipes and beauty tips to Kandahar on RANA-FM. And
Yahseer. who enjoys the freedom of Canada’s nightlife, but by day broadcasts
to tradition-bound Kandahar – mostly good news, plus warnings to keep back
from NATO convoys.

The film grows darker when we meet Najia, who grieves in exile for her
country. A refugee, she was once a broadcaster at a women’s station in
Afghanistan – until a death threat forced her to flee. Meanwhile, at a NATO
training camp in Alberta – complete with a re-creation of an Afghan landscape
– role-players wear fake Taliban beards and enthuse about riding in tanks.
Here we also find Sharif, a young translator haunted by the wars he witnessed
– and upset by Afghan friends who call him a traitor for helping the Canadian
military.

Amidst all the conflicting opinions, Nasr decides to see for himself. He
travels to Afghanistan, where he learns many feel that NATO is just another
invader, finds little improvement in life, and comes to think that Canada’s
mission is failing.

Good Morning Kandahar is a moving and rich
film that brings a badly needed personal perspective to a painful controversy.

Good Morning Kandahar 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.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.