''If I Should Fall'' (full title: ''If I Should Fall: A True Story of the Afghan War Experience'') is a Canadian

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

about Marc Diab, a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

soldier of Lebanese

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

origin serving in the

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) The war in Afghanistan was a prolonged armed conflict lasting from 2001 to 2021. It began with United States invasion of Afghanistan, the invasion by a Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, United States-led coalition under the name Oper ...

Background

Diab was born on 23 September 1986 in

Ain Ebel Ain Ebel () is a municipality in the Nabatieh Governorate, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Beirut. Its inhabitants are predominantly Christian. Etymology Historian Joseph Toufik Khoreich writes that the name means "Spring of the Mon ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

to Hani Diab and Jihan Falah. He had two older sisters, Jessica and Maya. He and his family immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 2000, and Marc became a Canadian citizen on 11 June 2004. Living in

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, he was very active in his community and took part in many church and youth projects. He later joined the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

. While on leave, he regularly returned to his hometown and participated in youth camps, inspiring the children and mentoring them, taking a lot of video footage and photographs. When he left for Afghanistan, a popular Facebook account was created in his support. He was killed on 8 March 2009 after his vehicle hit an

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...

(IED) in

Shah Wali Kot district Shah Wali Kot District (, ) is situated in the northern part of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Khakrez District to the west, Naish District and Oruzgan Province to the north, Zabul Province to the east and Daman and Arghandab d ...

, Kandahar province. He was just 22 years old and weeks away from coming home. Diab had fallen in love with Mary Barakat, a fellow

Lebanese-Canadian Lebanese Canadians are Canadians of Lebanese origin. According to the 2016 census there were 219,555 Canadians who claimed Lebanese ancestry, showing an increase compared to the 2006 census, making them by far the largest group of people wi ...

, who he had known since their families lived in Lebanon. He had planned to propose and buy an apartment as soon as he returned home from his assignment. He was the 112th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan. There was a huge outpour of grief and support from his community after his death. ''Trooper Marc Diab Memorial Park'' was inaugurated in June 2010 in Mississauga, Ontario in his memory. His family and relatives opened a Lebanese restaurant, ''Madameek,'' in his memory, just next to his base in

Petawawa Petawawa ( ) is a town located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. Situated in the Ottawa Valley, with a population of 18,160 (2021 Census), Petawawa is the most populous municipality in Renfrew County. History The earliest se ...

, Ontario. The restaurant contains memorabilia that once belonged to Diab.

Synopsis

The documentary recounts Diab's life through the accounts of his friends, family, girlfriend, and fellow soldiers from D Squadron,

Royal Canadian Dragoons The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Army by precedence. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. The colonel-in-chief of the ...

. Supported by an ensemble of renowned Canadian military experts, including retired Major General

Lewis MacKenzie Lewis Wharton MacKenzie Order of Canada, CM, Meritorious Service Cross, MSC, Order of Ontario, OOnt, Canadian Forces' Decoration, CD (born 30 April 1940) is a Canadian retired major general, author and media Pundit (expert), commentator. MacKen ...

, ''

Esprit de Corps Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower ...

'' magazine's Scott Taylor, and Major Ray Wiss, a military reservist and emergency room doctor, the film explores the conflict in Afghanistan and the tragedy of losing a loved one to war.

Production

Co-directed by Brendon Culliton, a Canadian film director, and Dan Heald, ''If I Should Fall'' is their first long feature documentary film. The film is produced by Joint Media Group Inc (JMGI), a company founded by Culliton with his father Paul Culliton. JMGI wanted to create a television series called ''Afghan Diaries'' two years prior. including an episode on the aftermath of a soldier's death. Executive Producer Michael Roberts had been friends with the Diab family via their Mississauga restaurant and introduced the family to Paul Culliton when ''Afghan Diaries'' was in its early stages. Paul Culliton and Roberts felt that they had a lot of excellent material provided by the Diabs and at their suggestion, Brendon Culliton decided to focus on Diab. The film uses video footage from Diab and other soldiers discussing IEDs, as well as a montage prepared by Diab himself, entitled "See You Tomorrow", for his loved ones in the event he didn't return home alive.

Music

The film features music by award-winning Canadian artist

Loreena McKennitt Loreena McKennitt (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic music, Celtic and Middle Eastern music, Middle Eastern influences. McKenni ...

Release

The documentary premiered in 2012 at the

Canadian Embassy Canada has an extensive diplomatic network maintained by Global Affairs Canada. This listing does not include trade missions and honorary consulates. Overview As a Commonwealth country, Canada's diplomatic missions in the capitals of other Co ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

before approximately 200 guests, including Pentagon officials. A DVD release (in two versions, the official release version and another version with extended footage in addition to further testimonies) was released with proceeds going to the Marc Diab Children's Foundation and the Military Families' Fund.

Reception

''If I Should Fall'' received favourable reviews, including Peter Worthington of the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...

'' who wrote, "Every Canadian should have a chance to see ''If I Should Fall''." Scott Taylor of ''

, a'' Canadian military magazine, said, "This is an authentic story of the Canadian Afghan war experience."

Awards

*2012: "Best Documentary" at the Toronto Beaches Film Fest, Toronto, Ontario *2012: "Audience Award" at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, Buffalo, New York *2012: "Best Documentary" at the Amelia Island Film Festival, Amelia Island, Florida *2011: "Award of Excellence - Documentary Competition" at the

Canada International Film Festival The Edgewater Casino is a former casino that was located at 760 Pacific Blvd South Vancouver, British Columbia. It was in operation from 2005 to 2017. History The Edgwater Casino opened in February 2005. In 2006, the casino was acquired by Par ...

, Vancouver, British Columbia *2011: "Best Documentary" at the Hamilton Film Festival, Hamilton, Ontario *2011: "Best Documentary" at the Silver Wave Film Festival, Fredericton, New Brunswick ;Official selections *2012: Official Selection, Lebanese Film Festival, Sydney, Australia *2012: Official Selection, Ottawa International Film Festival, Ottawa, Ontario *2012: Official Selection, GI Film Festival, Washington, DC *2012: Official Selection, Canadian Film Fest, Toronto, Ontario *2012: Official Selection, Reelworld Film Festival, Toronto, Ontario *2012: Official Selection, Belleville International Documentary Film Festival, Belleville, Ontario *2011: Official Selection, Brantford International Film Festival, Brantford, Ontario

References

External links

* *
Marc Diab Official website
*
Madameek Restaurant in Marc Diab's memory
{{DEFAULTSORT:If I Should Fall 2010 films 2010 documentary films Canadian documentary films Documentary films about the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) 2010 directorial debut films 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films English-language documentary films English-language Canadian films