MANILA, Philippines?A few hours before he flew to Davao to attend the screening of his provocative documentary, ?Afghan Chronicles,? Canadian filmmaker Dominic Morissette spoke to us about his movie. The Montreal-based director was in the country upon the invitation of the Canadian Embassy to share his experiences while shooting his film.

?My last visit to the Philippines was 15 years ago, but it?s good to be back. I was working as a photographer documenting the human rights situation in Mindanao, Northern Samar and Manila. I find it interesting to show my documentary here because I can feel the energy and curiosity of the Filipino audience,? Dominic shared.

Golden age

To beef up his documentary filmmaking skills, he watched movies made in the ?60 and ?70s?-considered to be the golden age of documentary filmmaking in Canada?to get an idea how they were put together.

?Afghan Chronicles? is an intimate portrait of the people of Kabul from the point of view of a Westerner. Dominic captured the reconstruction process of women and the country?s population of three million as they struggle to make a living in the post-Taliban regime. He was there during the first presidential election and, for three years, despite language and cultural barriers, he kept going back to shoot 50 hours of footage in Afghanistan, later compressed into 52 minutes.

He documented the hardships experienced by women journalists of the Afghan magazines, ?Mursal? and ?Killid.? He met someone who said he?d rather work as a driver for an international organization than as a university professor.

Insights

Morissette also met a veteran photographer who shared his insights on Afghan corruption and social injustice. He recalls: ?To win his trust and build his confidence, I bonded with him and shared food with him.?

The result is a warm and in-depth story about hope. Dominic?s film puts a human face on the stories we see on cable television. He reflected: ?The beauty and power of a documentary lie in its ability to change people?s lives. You never know what happens next, so you have to be open!?