Documentaries
My Enemy, My Brother (TVNZ OnDemand, from Tuesday) may be one of the greatest examples of Pay It Forward ever committed to film. The Canadian documentary features two survivors of the Iran-Iraq War, who met years later in Vancouver.
However, Najah is Iraqi and Zahed is Iranian and they fought against each other in the bloody Battle of Khorramshahr in Iran, a 34-day fight in which more than 7000 were wounded or killed.
Najah was wounded, but when Zahed found him, he was moved to save his life. Incredibly, they met again 30
years later in Canada.
Naturally, their experiences still haunt them (Najah was a prisoner of war for 17 years) and Zahed, in particular, is struggling with depression. Documentarian Ann Shin decided to follow as they travel to their homelands in search of lost family members.
“The story of Najah and Zahed is a surprising affirmation of humanity that cuts across political borders,”
Shin wrote in the New York Times.
There are the remnants of another war zone in Colombia with Simon Reeve (BBC
World News, Sky 089, Saturday, 10.10pm), in which he explores what may happen once Farc (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) guerrillas, who have signed a peace deal, lay down their arms. Sadly, the answer lies with the cocaine trade and those protecting it.