5 Kids And A 3000 Mile Adventure

AFRICA UNITED (DVD)
Warner Brothers 

Release date: February 28th 2011
Certificate (UK): 12
Running time: 85 minutes

Director: Debs Gardner-Paterson

Cast: Roger Nsengiyumva, Sherrie Silver, Eriya Ndayambaje, Yves Dusenge, Sanyu Joanita Kintu

War. Genocide. Famine. Poverty. AIDS. Children in Africa face a world of challenges.

But along comes a film which takes a different perspective, showing both the beauty and strength of Africa and its youth while at the same time addressing how these issues affect and shape them.

Debs Gardner-Paterson directs her first feature with this story of three Rwandan kids, Fabrice, Dudu and Beatrice, who board the wrong bus on their way to the World Cup where Fabrice has been offered the chance to audition for the opening ceremony.

Instead of arriving in South Africa, they end up in the Congo where they’re mistaken for refugees and placed in a camp. They meet another youngster, Foreman George, who tells them that they need to escape before they are taken away and made into child soldiers but after they get away they end up lost in the jungle. That’s even before they’re halfway to their destination.

They also meet Celeste, a teenage girl, who wants to escape her life of prostitution. She joins them on their 3000 mile journey and these 5 kids form Africa United fuelled by Dudu’s never ending optimising and mixed up metaphors such as “The world is your ostrich”.

The story is thrilling, heartwarming and thoughtful while the cinematography reveals a side of Africa which rarely glimpsed in news reports of war, genocide, famine and disease. Gardner-Paterson shows us a place of growth, beauty, learning and promise of a better tomorrow.

It’s a daring mix of the current issues, animation and feel-good adventure and it works very, very well. Rarely have I seen such a young cast captivate with such honesty, intelligence, charisma and heart as they do in this film..

There’s a good selection of special features included on this DVD. You get to hear from the director, writer, producer and cast and go behind the scenes, on location and explore the music in the film.

The Comic Relief Videos feature British television presenters Ant & Dec in Kenya visiting AIDS orphans. Former Brookside star Claire Sweeney takes viewers through the lives of child soldiers, some as young as 7 years old. Footballer Alan Shearer visit schools and talks to children about how education is helping them.

All in all, it makes Africa United something parents can sit with their kids and watch and discuss afterwards as I’m sure they will have lots of questions, and that’s what it’s all about.