Machine Gun Preacher, as I previously mentioned, is the story of biker/preacher Sam Childers who has become a defender of Sudanese orphans. After a life of alcoholism, drug addiction, drug dealing and riding motorcycles, Childers found God and soon learned of the atrocities committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Sudan. Over thirty thousand children have been abducted by Joseph Kony and the LRA in the region, and relief organizations report as many as fifty thousand children have been abducted and 1.7 million people have been displaced. The abducted children are generally forced to be child soldiers or sex slaves until they escape, are rescued or killed. Thousands of children have become orphans as a result of brutal LRA attacks on remote villages in Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda.
Not long after his first trip to Sudan, Childers founded the Angels of East Africa, and built the Children’s Village in Southern Sudan. The Children’s village currently has housed over a thousand children rescued since its inception. This is currently the largest orphanage in Southern Sudan and is unique in its approach of leading armed missions directly into LRA territory. The Children’s Village is the only non-governmental organization that does not pick up and evacuate when fighting breaks out in the area. However, Childers’ crusade has not been limited to Sudanese children as he revealed in 2009 that he also rescues children abducted in Northern Uganda as well.
The new film, which will be released in theaters on September 23rd, stars actor Gerard Butler in an Oscar-worthy performance as Childers, and depicts his journey from prison and a trailer park existence to a loving father and believer of God, who devotes his life to saving those who can’t save themselves. Director Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster’s Ball) has put together a gripping film that not only balances the drama and excitement of Childers’ life but also highlights the real world problems that the activist has dedicated his own life to expose. Butler’s performance is at the same time both surprising and breathtaking, while remarkably illuminating both Childers impressive passion for human justice and his inner struggle with the demons of his past. Also giving very strong supporting performances in the film are Michael Shannon as Childers’ drug addicted best friend Donnie, Michelle Monaghan as his devoted wife Lynn, and Souleymane Sy Savane as Deng, a Sudanese rebel that joins Childers on his quest to save the orphans.
Another film that is shining a light on the issues plaguing Africa is the new documentary Bouncing Cats, which will air on the Documentary Channel on November 19th at 8PM EST and PST. The film, by director Nabil Elderkin, is the story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on B-boy culture and break dance. The movie tells the story of Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, a Ugandan B-boy (another term for breakdancer) and an AIDS orphan who creates a free workshop teaching youth B-boy culture to three hundred disenfranchised kids living in precarious conditions in Kampala in 2006, and in Gulu in northern Uganda. The documentary chronicles Hip-hop dancer Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon who receives an invitation from Abramz to teach B-boy classes in Uganda. He accepts the invitation to join the program and is inspired by the local kids passion for hip-hop. Ultimately, the documentary follows Abramz, Crazy Legs, and the Breakdance Project Uganda on a journey to use hip-hop culture for positive social change.
Bouncing Cats is narrated by musician/actor Common (Terminator Salvation) and features interviews with members of the hip-hop community like Will.I.Am (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and K'naan. What is most striking about Elderkin’s film is the way he is able express the hope for freedom and sense of belonging that dance and hip-hop has been able to bring to these disenfranchised youths in this underprivileged part of the world. Breakdance Project Uganda, which is the program that is highlighted in the film, is a noble cause that has given much needed hope to this region of the world. By empowering the youth of Uganda with hip-hop and dance, which is in and of itself empowering, they have been able to give a focus to the kids of Uganda, which in turn has led them away from violence and towards the importance of education. So far, the film has won awards at the Newport Beach Film Festival, Urbanworld Film Festival, Bahamas International Film Festival, and The Alcolade Film, Television, New Media & Videography Awards.
While I believe that the true power of film is to entertain, and in doing so to take audience’s minds off of their problems, it is also necessary for Hollywood to challenge audiences to flex their brain muscles by illuminating issues that would otherwise be forgotten. Both Machine Gun Preacher, and Bouncing Cats do this and are not only entertaining and touching films, but are also important movies to see because they posses the ability to educate and move their audiences to create positive changes in the world and in their own community. While we will probably never have a shortage of sequels, prequels, reboots, remakes, and comic book adapted movies, I think it’s also important that Hollywood continues to challenge audiences by producing movies that are held to a higher standard. It’s important that they continue to make films that can educate and motivate, while at the same time entertaining the larger movie-going audience.
Machine Gun Preacher will be released in theaters on September 23rd.
Bouncing Cats will air on the Documentary Channel on November 19th at 8PM EST and PST.
To watch the trailer for Machine Gun Preacher, please click on the video player below:
To watch the trailer for Bouncing Cats, please click on the video player below:
Bouncing Cats Trailer from Bouncing Cats on Vimeo.
Full Disclosure: Machine Gun Preacher is produced by Relativity Media, iamROGUE's parent company.
