Documentary chronicles Afghan war through eyes of a young boy

A documentary chronicling a boy's journey from childhood to adolescence in war-torn Afghanistan "represents the potential for Afghanistan's future," Anglo-American filmmaker Phil Grabsky told a Nov. 10 Newsmaker.

Grabsky in his documentary film "The Boy Mir" follows a young boy for nearly a decade beginning in 2002 to the present. As Afghanistan convulses with war, Mir grows from an impish boy of 8 to an old-beyond-his-years teenager.

Despite "the poverty, the slow recovery from war and the ever-present Taliban threat," Grabsky said Mir shows "a determination and resolve that offers a somewhat optimistic face of Afghanistan.

The filmmaker said American soldiers returning from combat in Afghanistan have said they wish they had seen the film before going to the country.