Community Supported Film (CSFilm) strengthens the documentary storytelling capacity in countries where the dissemination of objective and accurate information is essential to stabilization and development. CSFilm trains local men and women in video-journalism and documentary filmmaking so that they can tell stories rooted in their reality to better influence local and international views on sustainable paths to a more peaceful and equitable world.
The Fruit of Our Labor: Afghan Perspectives in Film is a collection of 10 short documentary films made by Afghan trainees that brings to life Afghans’ efforts to address their challenging social and economic conditions. These character-driven shorts highlight the complex daily realities of contemporary Afghanistan, while also showing the agency and capacity of Afghans to solve their own problems. These films provide a fresh perspective on the needs and issues of Afghans beyond the relentless battlefront coverage of western media.
THE FILMMAKER:
Michael Sheridan, Executive Producer and Director of Community Supported Film.
Michael Sheridan has been making documentary and experimental films for nearly 20 years about people in poor and developing communities challenging the status quo and working to improve their lives. Michael has taught filmmaking for 15 years at the community and university level. He served as Senior Fulbright Scholar in Indonesia. In 2009 he began work on a documentary, Brewing Tea in a Kettle of War, about effective aid from the perspective of Afghan villagers. In the process of developing this project, he created Community Supported Film to engage locals by training them in documentary filmmaking with a focus on social and economic development issues. The resulting films engage local and international audiences with experiences that go beyond the crisis reporting that dominates western media.
Development & Humanitarian Services for Afghanistan/The Killid Group, Afghan Co-Producer.
Development & Humanitarian Services for Afghanistan (DHSA) is an Afghan NGO operating throughout the country since 1992. It’s public media and information project, The Killid Group (TKG) is the largest independent media organization in Afghanistan. Most notably, TKG is home to Killid Magazine, Mursal Women’s Magazine, the Radio Killid Network and Kabul Rock Radio. The TKG project was established by DHSA in 2002 with a public service mandate to promote civic media, free speech and open discourse in an effort to give the public the intellectual tools they need to recover after three decades of war and turmoil. TKG’s team of 160 radio, print and TV production professionals provides a consistent platform for voices of reason in Afghanistan to express themselves in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. In an environment where the media was formerly controlled by the government, suppressed or nonexistent beyond city centers, the growth of TKG during Afghanistan’s critical transition from war to peace has served as a valuable asset for all those dedicated to building a peaceful and open society.
