Brewing Tea in a Kettle of War (Pitch Reel)

The Brewing Tea in a Kettle of War (BTKW) pitch reel was made in 2009 by CSFilm Director, Michael Sheridan. It was created to promote the making of the full-length BTKW film. This film project morphed into the creation of Community Supported Film and our first training and filmmaking project, The Fruit of Our Labor-Afghan Perspectives in Film. 

BTKW intended to look from Afghan villagers’ perspectives at the impact of outsiders coming into their communities trying to help them. Specifically, audiences would experience what it is like when foreign soldiers, contractors and the Afghan government arrive with aid. Through these stories the benefits of bottom up versus the costs of top down development approaches and the impact of local versus foreign ownership would be revealed.

The pitch reel compares the work of the National Solidarity Program to the US Military’s Provincial Reconstruction Teams. These parallel stories allow the international community a unique insight into the efficacy of these  approaches.

Check out this curriculum based on the Brewing Tea in a Kettle of War pitch reel!

Primary Source, an organization that connects educators with history and humanities resources from around the world, has developed an educational curriculum using the Brewing Tea in a Kettle of War pitch reel. The film is used as a springboard to analyze post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan, drawing comparisons between the top-down approach of the Provincial Reconstruction Team and the bottom-up approach of the National Solidarity Program. Click here to see more.