Today is day 2nd of the London Film Festival and the film of the day is Africa United. The movie is directed by Debs Gardner-Paterson and is based on the book by Rhidian Brook. It’s out in UK cinemas next week, 22nd October and our review of the movie will be going online shortly.
Africa United stars Eriya Ndayambaje, Yves Dusenge, Sanyu Joanita Kintu, Roger Nsengiyumva, Sherrie Silver and read on for the synopsis then scroll down to view photos and the full press conference.
SYNOPSIS: Three Rwandan children set off to Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali, to audition for the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup. The children are Rwandan football prodigy Fabrice, his best friend and ‘manager’ Dudu, and Dudu’s little sister Beatrice. They sneak onto a bus…the wrong bus. Instead of arriving in Rwanda’s capital Kigali, they end up in the Congo. Lost in a dangerous country, without papers, money or a believable story, they are taken to a children’s refugee camp where they meet the mysterious teenager Foreman George. They know they have missed the audition, so decide to head straight to Johannesburg, in South Africa, for the opening ceremony.
En-route they are joined by escaped sex worker Celeste and together they travel 3,000 miles, surviving wild animals, the elements and gun-wielding thugs Tulu and Egg. Armed with ingenuity, determination and blind optimism, they defy all dangers so that Fabrice can finally be part of the “team for a dream.” Their travels – through Rwanda, Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa reveal a side of Africa that few people ever see. ‘AFRICA UNITED‘ is a story of joy, laughter, hope and generosity – the ‘ubutu’ spirit in which the children make this incredible journey together.
