In a hidden safehouse in the Ghanaian forest, social workers help two children recover from a childhood enslaved to fishermen on Lake Volta - the largest manmade lake on Earth. But their story takes an unexpected turn when their rescuer embarks on another rescue mission and asks the children for help.

Haunted by the memory of his friend who disappeared on the lake, twelve year old Edem is reluctant to talk about his experience. Meanwhile, seventeen year old Peter is burdened by a sense of responsibility to help to his best friend, who is still enslaved to their master on the lake. When Kwame, their rescuer, announces that his team is setting off on another rescue mission and needs the children's help, Peter seizes the opportunity, setting in motion a journey that will change the boys' lives forever.

The Rescue List charts the unfolding drama of these rescue operations alongside a moving portrait of the boys' recoveries as they prepare to return to their families. The film depicts a moving story of friendship and courage that transcends the trope of victimhood and illustrates what it means to love and survive.

A film by Alyssa Fedele & Zachary Fink

USA / Ghana, 2018, documentary, 81 mins

PRODUCER / DIRECTOR / EDITOR
Alyssa Fedele

PRODUCER / DIRECTOR / CINEMATOGRAPHER
Zachary Fink

PRODUCER / EDITOR
Davis Coombe

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Steve James

ADVISOR
James Kofi Annan

IMPACT AND ENGAGEMENT CONSULTANT
Alice Quinlan

CO-PRODUCER
Alison Greenberg Millice

COMPOSER
William Ryan Fritch

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER / FIXER
JOHN DEGRAFT SAM



PBS releases The Rescue List on the POV Community Network
Our friends and partners at POV have made our film available through their lending library for free community screenings leading up to our March 2020 broadcast on POV.