More than 2 million Sudanese have died in the longest uninterrupted civil war in the world, now in its 20th year. Another 5 million civilians have fled their homes to escape the fighting. A Great Wonder : Lost Children of Sudan traces the extraordinary journey of three young Sudanese orphans, a fraction of the 17,000 so-called "Lost Boys" of Sudan, who have spent the majority of their lives either in flight from war or in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. Having navigated the hazards of warfare, disease and starvation, their arrival and resettlement in Seattle, WA, is not your average immigration story.
Over the course of 18 months, these youths have recorded their own experiences through their own eyes and in their own words using digital video cameras. The resulting "diaries" serve as a personal thread throughout the film, incorporating first-hand accounts of their experiences in war with their radically different lives as immigrants in America. A story of survival in its most elemental form, A Great Wonder Lost Children of Sudan explores the concepts of loss, faith, community and freedom as it bears witness to the spirit that drives these young people to rebuild their lives.
(61 minutes) Ethiopia/Kenya/Sudan/USA
Directed by Kim Shelton
Produced by Two Shoes Productions
Co-Producer, Camera: Leigh Kimball
Editor: Jennifer Chinlund
Music: Todd Boekelheide
Langage: English
"The best film I have seen...on refugee settlement."
Susan Baukhages, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
61 minutes
DVD-R version available (Bullfrog Films)
Color / Stereo
Grade Level: 10 - 12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 2004
Copyright Date: 2003
ISBN (VHS): 1-59458-031-6
ISBN (DVD): 1-59458-041-3
FESTIVAS / AWARDS / PRIX / TELEVISIONS
CINE Golden Eagle Award
1st Travelling Festival - UNAFF - United Nations Association Film Festival. Paris, France
> Selection
Seattle International Film Festival
> Best Documentary
Syracuse International Film & Video Festival
> Best Short Documentary
Athens International Film and Video Competition
> Documentary Award Winner
Columbus International Film & Video Festival
> Honorable Mention
Locarno International Film Festival
> Selection
Vancouver International Film Festival
> Selection
Film Arts Festival of Independent Cinema
> Selection
Annapolis Film Festival
> Selection
Santa Fe Film Festival
> Selection
United Nations Association Film Festival
> Selection
MountainFilm, Telluride
> Selection
Northwest Film & Video Festival
> Selection
Global Visions Film Festival, Edmonton
> Selection
Ashland Independent Film Festival
> Selection
East Lansing Film Festival
> Selection
Ojai Film Festival
> Selection
African Diaspora Film Festival, New York
> Selection
Northwest Festival of African Cinema
> Selection
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival
> Selection
San Diego Human Rights Film Festival> Selection
Plymouth Independendent Film Festival
> Selection