Film:
Former Sudanese Child Soldier
Turned Model Returns Home
Ger: To Be Separate is a new documentary by award winning Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu. The film is a poignant portrait of former child soldier and lost boy, Ger Duany’s journey back to South Sudan after 18 years away (watch Duany talk about the film above). At the age of 14, Duany fled the conflict in the formerly united Sudan by walking first to a refugee camp in Ethiopia, then to one in Kenya. Luckily, Duany eventually escaped by airplane to the United States where he is now a successful fashion model and actor. Duany took South Sudan’s momentous vote for independence last January as an occasion to return home and search for long lost family members.
To help Duany tell his amazing story, visit the film’s Kickstarter page.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
You’ve probably watched “Lost Boys of Sudan” or “God Grew Tired of Us” in theaters and you cried your heart out and subconsciously still wonder, how the hell are these lost boys from Sudan adapting to the American life-style?
Well, it’s your lucky day because they are doing fine, well, at least we know one of them is and his name is Ger Duany. No, he wasn’t in either films mentioned above, but, he was one of the child soldiers and lost boys who fled the war in the formerly united Sudan and walked for miles to get to a refugee camp in Ethiopia then Kenya, and after many struggles he was one of the lucky ones that made it out on a plane to America.
In America, he encountered many obstacles but fate led him to his debut on Hollywood's silver screen where he played a refugee in the movie “I Heart Huckabees”. Director David O. Russell said he wanted someone who endured the real life experience of being a refugee to play the role. Soon after, Ger met supermodel Tyson Beckford, who saw Ger's modeling potential which opened doors to a modeling career and a shoot with photographer Norman Watson and many other photographers.
And so during all these years and the distance he lost touch with his family and land, but in January 2011, he hopped onto another plane this time back to South Sudan to vote for independence. And in July 2011, South Sudan finally got its well-deserved freedom and Ger was there to celebrate his new nation's independence, search for his family, and help build South Sudan.
Awesome right?!? Don’t you think this story would make a heartfelt real-life documentary? The kind that would complete the Lost Boys of Sudan trilogy that we got going on here? Well, the good news is that award winning Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu (From a Whisper, Pumzi ) has been documenting Ger’s life for the past year and she has captured some wonderful footage and the documentary is in the final stage of production. We're very close to completing this unique documentary and like any creatively awesome and life changing endeavor, we need moolah to finish this project. So we’re knocking at your door and hoping you’ll pledge and donate what you can to finish the editing of this unique story. We’re counting on you to help us see this through!
Thank you.
>via: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1200904186/ger-to-be-seperate