THE REDEMPTION OF GENERAL BUTT NAKED
documentary
USA, 2011
DVD, 85 Min. (OF Englisch)
by Erik Strauss & Daniele Anastasion
5. Decmeber 2011
Topkino
7.00 p.m./ Kleiner Saal
Joshua Milton Blahyi, a feared and ruthless warlord during Liberia's horrific 14-year civil war, was dubbed "General Butt Naked" for fighting with nothing more than an AK-47 and a pair of leather shoes. He believed he possessed supernatural powers that made him impervious to bullets and trained an army of child soldiers to kill thousands. Today, he has renounced his violent past and reinvented himself as a Christian evangelist on a journey of self-proclaimed transformation, traveling the nation of Liberia as a preacher, seeking out those he once victimized in search of uncertain forgiveness. At every turn, the film asks viewers to confront the power and limits of redemption in a nation searching for justice.
Excellence in cinematography award: documentary 2011 (Sundance FF)
Best documentary (Bermuda FF, 2011)