Emmanuel Jal: War Child

"Left home at the age of seven. One year later I leave with an AK-47." For hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal, a veteran of the 20-year civil war in southern Sudan, these lyrics are hardly empty posturing. One of the tens of thousands of "lost boys" of the Sudan, Jal left his devastated home in 1987. At a United Nations camp for Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia, he became the children's spokesperson and soon joined the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, training to fight the Arab-dominated north right under the UN's watch. After almost five years, he and his friends deserted, embarking on a harrowing journey that few survived. Now in his 20s,Jal is using his music to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the plight of child soldiers throughout the world.

First-time filmmaker C. Karim Chrobog follows Jal as he performs at a fundraiser and meets with students in Washington, DC then returns to Sudan for the first time in 18 years to reunite with his family, including the father who summoned him to war and then abandoned him. On the way he visits a battlefield that brings back painful memories, a UN camp in Kenya for Sudanese orphans, and the Nairobi prep school where he wound up after a chain of events so remarkable they'll soon be retold in a movie directed by Tony Scott. Audience Award, Tribeca Film Festival.

Spanish Title (Español/Spanish): EMMANUEL JAL: WAR CHILD
English Title: EMMANUEL JAL: WAR CHILD
Original: EMMANUEL JAL: WAR CHILD
Country of Origin: United States
Year of Completion: 2008
Running time: 90 min.
Format/color/BW: Digibeta, color
Language: English, Nuer, Dinka/Spanish Subtitles
Director: C. Karim Chrobog
Producer: C. Karim Chrobog
Executive Producers: Dal LaMagna, Rick Boden,
Roshanak Ameli-Tehrani
Screenwriter: C. Karim Chrobog
Cinematographer: S.J. Staniski
Editor: Nels Bangerter
Music: Emmanuel Jal

Director’s Biography
C. Karim Chrobog is a first-time director/producer. He started his career in the media industry working at TimeWarner's international public policy office. In 2005, Karim launched Tangier Pictures, an independent feature film company. He is working on a documentary, Kidnapped, which tells the story of his family's kidnapping during a vacation gone awry in the South of Yemen three years ago.