NFB announces the filming of a new Julien Fréchette documentary. The film will follow foreign combatants fighting against Islamic State, including "Wali," a Quebecois former sniper with the Royal 22e Régiment.

News Release

November 2, 2015 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Filmmaker Julien Fréchette has returned from Iraqi Kurdistan to continue filming his new feature-length documentary, whose working title is Ma guerre. In it, he explores the little-known phenomenon of Westerners voluntarily joining Kurdish forces fighting the armed group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Following fighters from France, the U.S., and Canada—including “Wali,” a former Royal 22^e Régiment sniper from Quebec, and Hanna Böhman, originally from British Columbia—Ma guerre dives into their world, questioning their motivations and documenting their struggle on the other side of jihad. The documentary also examines the complex grey zones created by this unique situation and the challenges that these people face when they return to civilian life.

This is Fréchette’s second NFB film, after Silence is Gold—a finalist in the Best Documentary category at the 2014 Jutra awards. He also recently directed Kurdistan, de gré ou de force, broadcast as part of RDI’s Les grand reportages series.

Ma guerre is being produced for the NFB by Colette Loumède and is scheduled for release in 2017.

About the documentary

While hundreds of young Westerners have made headlines by joining Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, several hundred others have travelled to the region to volunteer and fight on the “good” side—alongside the Kurds. Though many are former soldiers, some are simply civilians seeking adventure. Viewed as heroes or greeted with bewilderment by family and friends and timidly renounced by governments and armed forces, their presence has drawn mixed reactions, both at home and in the conflict zone. Who exactly are they?

About the director

A graduate of Concordia University’s film production program, filmmaker Julien Fréchette specializes in auteur documentaries about societal issues. His first short film L’homme et la montagne (2004) won Télé-Québec’s Vidéaste recherché(e) contest. In 2007, Fréchette made his first feature-length documentary, Le doigt dans l’œil, which took home the jury prize and people’s choice award at the Festival de films de Portneuf sur l’environnement. In 2010, he finished Le monde en coulisse, broadcast on TV5, and in 2012 he made Silence is Gold, co-produced with the NFB, which was a finalist for Best Documentary at the 2014 Jutra and Gémeaux awards. He also directed three web-based series: La vie en slam, Le réflexe juridique, and Savoir-faire. In 2015, he directed Kurdistan, de gré ou de force, broadcast as part of RDI’s Les grands reportages series.

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