netflixed "voices of iraq" and "afghan stories", two documentaries where basically the people tell it like it is. for documentaries done in non-first world countries, i always wonder how do they have enough battery/film for everything. you could bring loads of film with you, but surely you must charge the batteries now and then. i guess you just have to do it whenever you have the chance to. or maybe we need solar powered cameras for real remote filmmaking.

in "voices of iraq", the filmmakers distributed 150 digital video cameras across iraq and cut the film from the footage the people shot themselves. while the dvd doesn't really cover the behind the scenes aspect of how this all came together, there is some narrative put on top of the film that leads you down theories of how this all went down. possibly the filmmakers went and distributed them personally, told the people through translators how to use the camera and to just film whatever you like (or more specifically friends and family), had the cameras returned to them, then went on to another town and did the same. it's a very interesting idea and the film was captivating but i can't help but feel it was a bit one-sided. it was great to see such hope and happiness from the people (even an iraqi metal band), but you wonder about the hundreds of hours of footage shot that were not in the film. it would have been nice if there were some extras on the dvd to show behind the scenes, planning the film, footage that didn't make it, etc.

in "afghan stories", the filmmakers travel to afghanistan to see what's going on and find out for themselves firsthand. an afghan-american is the main person that we follow. before he even sets out on the journey, he meets with other afghanis in america, one of whom doesn't want him to go because the old afghanistan is long dead to him (better to destroy it all first and then rebuild is the sentiment of that family). then he goes to the neighboring country of tajikistan while waiting for permission to enter afghanistan. while they are there, they meet a refugee family. when they are in afghanistan, they interview several people who share their thoughts on their hopes for the future of afghanistan. all of these help to paint a picture of the afghan experience. you stay because you don't have the means to leave or because it's your country/people and you want to help rebuild directly. you flee because you are forced out or because you want a better life that can't be had in these days in this land. those are the kind of decisions people must make. the interviews help to understand why people made those decisions. to me it wasn't so much about a future as it was about the now. what can we do now? forget the next generation, what can be done within our generation?