Canadian Voices in Afghanistan
Q&A with documentary filmmaker Ariel Nasr
Documentary filmmaker Ariel Nasr
What is your job in Afghanistan?
I am an independent documentary filmmaker, currently working for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). One of my projects is a documentary about the Afghan women's national boxing team, and another is a collaborative Web project featuring videos of Kabul residents that can be navigated according to the viewer's interest. I'm also preparing to shoot an experimental documentary project, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, about daily life in a conflict-affected society. I am excited about telling stories that confront people's expectations about what Afghan life and people are like.
Apart from my work as a filmmaker, I have undertaken, with several other Kabul-based media professionals and development workers, to launch an NGO that will help develop Afghanistan's film industry by training and promoting emerging Afghan filmmakers. Our NGO will be called the Afghan Film Project, and we are currently gathering support and funding to begin offering workshops and on-the-job experience to some of Afghanistan's up-and-coming film talent.
Why did you decide to come to Afghanistan?
Although I am half Afghan, I was born and raised in Canada, and I didn't learn to speak Dari (my father's native tongue) until I came to live in Kabul. But before I decided to live here, I came for a visit. In the summer of 2005, I came to Afghanistan for the first time. I travelled around the country by public transportation, visiting the places I'd heard so much about from my father. It was an inspiring and fulfilling trip for me, and I made a short documentary about my visit. A few years later, in 2007, I returned to shoot some footage for a film I was making through the NFB about Afghan Canadians and the war in Afghanistan. I spent two weeks here. That was when I decided I had to come back to live for a while. In December 2008, I finally moved to Kabul, determined to tell stories about Afghanistan and to learn the language, and I've been here, more or less, since then. Although I don't plan on staying here forever, I have a deep connection with this place and a feeling that I'll always return to Afghanistan.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Although working in Afghanistan can provoke sadness and frustration, it can also be an incredibly rewarding experience. I enjoy meeting the Afghan people whom I work with every day, and hearing their stories. Nearly everyone in Afghanistan has been through a great deal of suffering and has had to find a way to persevere. It is inspiring to meet people who have that kind of courage. It's a cliché that extreme circumstances bring out the best and worst in people, but it seems to me to be true from what I've seen in Afghanistan. I feel privileged to be able to tell Afghan stories to people in Canada through the medium of documentary.
What changes have you seen since you started working in Afghanistan?
Although not all of the changes I've seen here over the years have been positive, there have been some hopeful developments. For example, I've had the privilege to witness women in Kabul become increasingly involved in athletics. Some of the most inspiring things I've seen have taken place at Ghazi Stadium, where the National Olympic Committee sponsors women's teams in soccer, basketball, boxing, and many other sports that were previously unavailable. In my work as a freelance director and cameraman, I've been inspired to see local village councils participating in development in tiny communities from Herat to Sar-e Pol. The important work of clearing mines from farmland has continued, and talented Afghans in every field have had their intelligence and courage recognized by the international media. Unfortunately, due to the continued worsening of the security situation, I've also seen a slow sapping of hope from many Afghans. It will take all the courage of those who live here to confront and heal the situation that the country is currently faced with.
What do you think Canadians should know about Afghanistan that they are not learning from the mainstream media?
I think it is important for people to remember that life goes on for ordinary people, despite the war. How are Afghans dealing with the situation in their country? The creativity and courage of ordinary Afghans is often startling and inspiring. In my opinion, one way to heal conflict and prevent it from happening in the future is to remind people abroad what they have in common with those who are living in places that have become, literally, theatres of war. Showing how life goes on in Afghanistan is one way that media producers (like me) can help do that.
