between fronts-journeyman films

[graveyardofempires]

this film is half faked

YouTube - Between The Fronts - Afghanistan

[Catya Sher]

Which part [s] are faked, GYE?
Seems this Journeyman guy pulls A LOT of sly tricks...
probably ALL reportage is set up somehow.
Only that Paul Refsdal on Commander Davran seemed to be mostly true - is that accurate?

[graveyardofempires]

Which part [s] are faked, GYE?
Seems this Journeyman guy pulls A LOT of sly tricks...
probably ALL reportage is set up somehow.
Only that Paul Refsdal on Commander Davran seemed to be mostly true - is that accurate?

the civilians who were talking is real but the so called interview with taliban and than showing some recycled footage was fake.

[Catya Sher]

Maybe I missed that part then!
The youtube segment cut off right after the truck drivers.
That part, yes!, sounded absolutely real.
It said "for the whole film go to such and such site".
I will have to see the rest then.
I really enjoy seeing this stuff as it conveys at least SOMETHING of what life is like there.
I would like to figure out who the Journeyman is and why he is doing these films.

Still they're almost the only ones around, seems.

[کیش]

Which part [s] are faked, GYE?
Seems this Journeyman guy pulls A LOT of sly tricks...
probably ALL reportage is set up somehow.
Only that Paul Refsdal on Commander Davran seemed to be mostly true - is that accurate?

My brother in law thinks that whole documentary with Paul refsdal is fake. He has lived in Afghanistan for thirty years from 1980-2010. He says that the Taliban do not trust any westerners and would never let them stay with them for that many days.
He believes it's a fake because journalist who report on the Taliban receive a lot of money. He witnessed in maidan shah one time with his own eyes a journalist paying a bunch of afghans to pose like Taliban with weapons.

Any documentary from western journalist, you should take with a grain of salt.

You should watch documentaries from PBS frontline, they are done with afghan journalists.

[Catya Sher]

oh REALLY, idiot?! That's fascinating.
I have debated about his documentary myself.
Also he looks too creepy.
He doesn't LOOK like the kind of guy a Taliban would take to and give
unlimited access to a hideout.

I admit I DID wonder, too, whether the part about the beautiful children was invented to bring sympathy.
How did they find out? Why only the children, it was one or two of them, I believe.

I decided to trust rather than not trust the Refsdal one.
HOWEVER! When it appeared on CNN = or some part of it - and he was interviewed by them - I did really wonder what was going on.

Your brother in law must have by far the best perspective.
That is invaluable to know.

True, who ELSE has been permitted to stay and film them attacking really much at all?
If I were Taliban leaders, I would NEVER put up with such interference.
The guy could be a spy for NATO, needless to say.

From my experience with Afghans during the Soviet war, there was much suspicion of for example, a pair of French journalists who toured a Mujahideen area. Right after, Soviet planes came in and attacked right there.
So it was assumed these were agents posing as journalists [there ARE a lot of leftist/Communist French after all].
After that, Mujahideen began to scrutinize VERY CAREFULLy who they took with them.

Now why would Paul be making contacts in Kabul, anyway?
Seems weird. I wondered about that too.

Why not go to Frontier area?
Even then, who is going to talk to him, a non-Muslim with probably no references?

TOO MUCH about the Maidan stunt! Just so tacky.
I bet that happens ALL the time.

Invaluable comments !
MANY THANKS, I love to see the truth!

The PBS Frontline one I didn't like when I saw it.
In retrospect, at least it captured some pivotal history with footage to preserve for eternity...

[کیش]

^before I really thought that the refsdal documentary was real, before my brother in law broke it down. I trust my brother in law views and opinion on anything related to Afghanistan. because he lived their from 1980-2010. Including those years of civil war, Taliban days, Americam invasion, and the current debacle.


He always has interesting stories about those times and the years of the Taliban.

[Catya Sher]

^ He should write a BOOK to tell the truth to the world - at least write down his memories while they are still fresh.
One thinks he will always remember every detail.
But with time, they do fade.
So advise him to consider that idea.
I still am pondering over this.
What a relief to get the REAL truth. I hate all the layers and layers one has to sift through ordinarily to figure out what's what and whom to believe.

Teaches me to trust my own feelings, even more.
Because i didn't care for Refsdal at all when I first saw him in the film.
I had to suppress a bad feeling.
I understood why the taliban - or actors posing as Taliban ! - wanted to hide
behind their face masks.
I felt they trusted him too quickly, at the time I watched the video.

Well your brother in law's observant remarks put everything into REAL perspective.
For that I am very grateful.

I'd like to hear his other stories, too!

Also about the recycled footage. You know, BBC did a low trick like this during the time of the last election campaign in Iran. They were caught using footage from an Ahmadinejad rally and PRETENDING it was a massive sea of people who turned out for the opposition/Mousavi party.

So sneaky...
I like to catch out such things.

[کیش]

^^lol I always tell him to write a book about his life. That and I also tell him to write a English-Pashto phrasebook because he dislikes a lot of those books I have shown him. He is a doctor, and is studying for the USMLE, that's all he cares for right know.

For a quick story during the Taliban time he said in late 90"s Titanic was huge in Kabul. He said Afghans spotted the leanordo di caprio hairstyle and had a crush on Kate Winslet. He said they would watch movies nonchalantly, but was always scared he would get caught. And then they was a time he was riding a bike with an American movie in his pocket, and he got questioned by a Talib, but talked his way out of being searched.

Among many many others, it's been a real blessing my sister married him.

[Catya Sher]

That's so funny about copying the haircut of that actor - I never would have known or guessed that Afghans would go for that - what a great little cameo anecdote.
I didn't see that movie, but it's so cute that they actually liked the main actress, I guess? That's telling, too, that
the Taliban were nice to him. Its says volumes right there.
That they weren't these terrible villains as even they have been cast by expatriate Afghans in the West who fuel that myth.

Your brother in law sounds like a gem. How many people give the real story, without putting their own spin on it, or outright changing it to fit the listener's expectations?

When have time, maybe you can collect more of his experiences and relate them here for our enrichment!

US Medical..L...E ? <<<what are those last two? Is it that exam to qualify to practice here? That's supposed to be tough. Very tough.
I wish him success.

Also then he can move along on these important projects - the Pashto phrase book, too, is badly needed, I'm sure !

[abubaker]

sone major trnslation mistakes in this fim

at the beginning the guy says ''there are police posts every where yet there is no security'' but they translate it as Taliban are every where

[کیش]

That's so funny about copying the haircut of that actor - I never would have known or guessed that Afghans would go for that - what a great little cameo anecdote.
I didn't see that movie, but it's so cute that they actually liked the main actress, I guess? That's telling, too, that
the Taliban were nice to him. Its says volumes right there.
That they weren't these terrible villains as even they have been cast by expatriate Afghans in the West who fuel that myth.Your brother in law sounds like a gem. How many people give the real story, without putting their own spin on it, or outright changing it to fit the listener's expectations?When have time, maybe you can collect more of his experiences and relate them here for our enrichment!US Medical..L...E ? <<<what are those last two? Is it that exam to qualify to practice here? That's supposed to be tough. Very tough.
I wish him success.
Also then he can move along on these important projects - the Pashto phrase book, too, is badly needed, I'm sure !

United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)

He has both good things to say about the Taliban, and bad things to say. He mentions that they did favor Pashtuns, and didnt treat Tajiks, and Uzbeks like them.

Like a bad thing about the Taliban time was that school food was horribly nasty, and it got better when Karzai"s government came.

[graveyardofempires]

Maybe I missed that part then!
The youtube segment cut off right after the truck drivers.
That part, yes!, sounded absolutely real.
It said "for the whole film go to such and such site".
I will have to see the rest then.
I really enjoy seeing this stuff as it conveys at least SOMETHING of what life is like there.
I would like to figure out who the Journeyman is and why he is doing these films.

Still they're almost the only ones around, seems.

sister those simple Afghans are very intellignet,no one should thin that our people are dumb.
the truck drivers and others were saying the right stuff such as im quoting "this si the same british tactic of devide and conquer" that was so solid.

please keep an open eye and i hope to see good journalism and there are alot of fair journalists out there.
and we can also not judge these people such as journeyman pictures because all they do is make documentaries and they also cant rely on their sources.i really like journeymans docs not for its realness or fakeness but how its made,the editing etc.

[graveyardofempires]

^^lol I always tell him to write a book about his life. That and I also tell him to write a English-Pashto phrasebook because he dislikes a lot of those books I have shown him. He is a doctor, and is studying for the USMLE, that's all he cares for right know.

For a quick story during the Taliban time he said in late 90"s Titanic was huge in Kabul. He said Afghans spotted the leanordo di caprio hairstyle and had a crush on Kate Winslet. He said they would watch movies nonchalantly, but was always scared he would get caught. And then they was a time he was riding a bike with an American movie in his pocket, and he got questioned by a Talib, but talked his way out of being searched.

Among many many others, it's been a real blessing my sister married him.

awsome story wrora
i can relate to this

[Catya Sher]

GYE,
I liked that comment you made a lot.

For that is what i have ALWAYS marveled at: how sharp these average Pashtuns, Afghans ARE!
I witnessed it in action so many times.
They PERCEIVE what 99.5 % of "the educated world" misses and maybe could never see !
That's one reason I respect them so.

That discussion at the bus stop sounded very authentic.
Maybe it is the very first REAL segment I have seen that rings true to me.

Now Abubaker says a shocking thing: that even the basic words were distorted.
It's not sloppy journalism: it's planned to indoctrinate viewers with the idea once more "taliban are your enemies, they are responsible for all the problems of the last 30 years..."

About the unpleasant school food, of course, that is a true complaint.
Yet not a very important one
Which would someone rather have: tasteless lunchboxes, or
a chance to breath for a little bit after all the insecurity of the previous years?

We all tend to forget the big picture when complaining about small things..it's human nature!