Thank You for Bombing

When a group of American soldiers in Afghanistan burn the Quran, the incident generates a worldwide controversy and the international news outlets send in their investigative troops. But for middle-aged Austrian reporter Ewald (Erwin Steinhauer), the assignment is cut short at the point of departure when he recognizes a figure from the past. Miles away, in Kabul, American reporter Lana (Manon Kahle) struggles to gain her male colleagues' respect for her work as an on-the-ground correspondent. A couple of floors above Lana's station headquarters sits Cal (Raphael von Bargen), a burnt-out reporter frustrated at having to deliver idle reports from a hotel rooftop. This triptych of stories gives us a glimpse into the human experience — the tension and anxiety, but also the quotidian in-between moments — behind the streams of text and pixels that make up our daily news. (Toronto International Film Festival)