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Kandahar Journals

Louie Palu
Devin Gallagher
Canada, 2015, 76 min.

In English.
Includes violence and adult language.

AIFF Award Winner:
Festival Grand Prize

April 2006. Photojournalist Louie Palu, finds himself in the midst of body parts and the smell of burned flesh. On his first visit to Kandahar he is covering a suicide bombing. Arriving in the country as the wars violence spirals out of control, Louie is unaware that he will spend the next five years covering the conflict. He begins writing a series of journals reflecting on his personal experience and what the war looked like and felt to him. By the end of the film he must come to terms with the impossibility of photography to convey the reality of war because it is a personal experience.

Director's Statement

The war in Afghanistan and how it is portrayed via photography in the media and conveys what war looks and does not look like is the thesis of our film. We are interested in building a bridge between the military community and civilians in all countries. We would like this film to be a constructive tool for discussion and debate by all. The conflict in Afghanistan has fallen out of the headlines and debate by our governments, we feel that a long ongoing discussion should be maintained. We look forward to engaging with your community.

Category: Documentary.
Themes: War, World Cinema, Identity, Road Trip.