Development - ENGLISH - Action/Adventure, Drama, Horror - 100 minutes
A team of international aid-workers come to Nigeria. In one village, terrible things are happening. The team rescue an innocent orphaned child, branded as a witch and who is believed to have cursed the village. Dark secrets will be revealed as an exciting battle ensues over the fate of the child.
Year of production : 2011 Director(s) : Christopher M. ANTHONY Writer(s) : Christopher M. ANTHONY, Alexander PRESTON Cast : Hakeem KAE-KAZIM, Dave LEGENO, Sammi ROTIBI Producer(s) : Christopher ANTHONY (Kayfabe Films Ltd), Alexander PRESTON (Kayfabe Films Ltd.)
Set in Nigeria in a time of great troubles, a small group of international volunteer aid-workers are sent on a journey to poor isolated villages to provide their support. The group are an eclectic mix of personalities, each with their own personal reasons for being there. Moses – a Nigerian born ex-soldier in the U.S. army, returns to the country he left as a child to seek redemption for the blood on his hands. Cooper – a recovering alcoholic on this journey to try and bring purpose to his life and face his failings. Alexandra – a young and arrogant doctor here purely to embellish her C.V. Marcus – a middle-aged British veteran of the aid agency, there to overcome his own insecurities and gain confidence in himself. Ariane – a French woman, experienced in this field of work, leads the team. But dark things are happening in one small fishing village and the surrounding area. The villagers live in fear of rebel soldiers and macabre ju-ju rituals. The group rescue a young orphaned child with the intention of taking her to a nearby refuge. When their aid truck is stolen from the village, the locals turn on them. One man, Emmanuel, offers to remove the team and the thus the problem from the village. En route they find their truck – but it is a trap leading to an ambush by guerilla soldiers and a tragic loss in the group. The soldiers discover a mark scarred into the child’s shoulder – the mark of a witch. They release the team in fear of the stigma attached to her. As they make their escape they are forced to take shelter in the jungle for the night, caught in an intense tropical rain. It is here that Emmanuel reveals the horrific fate of the child witches. But Moses is harboring a bond with the child – a secret from his past – leading to the truth about why he was taken from his home during the Biafran War. But Emmanuel’s motivations are revealed to be far from good as he poisons the team with shamanic knowledge of local roots and berries. He kidnaps the child, leaving the team lost and alone. But Moses’ survival skills lead the team to a waterfall where they encounter a hunter. An error of judgment leads to an intense chase along the river that nearly ends in tragedy. Subsequently the hunter helps them on their journey back to the hostile village where the aid agency have come on a search and rescue mission. Moses sends his team back as he tries to rally the villagers to help him and help themselves overcome the problems that loom over their village – due to their own weakness to stand up for themselves rather than a nonsense curse blamed on an innocent child. He goes alone to a sacrificial ground where the child is the subject of a ju-ju ritual. Outnumbered, he battles them, fueled by primal rage. Finally the villagers realise the strength they truly possess and join him. Moses himself fights the leader who is revealed to be Emmanuel. He overcomes his adversary and when faced with the choice to finish him he chooses not to take another life to save a life. But he has been fatally wounded and this choice to show mercy is his final redemption. As he rescues the child he breathes his last breath. In a surprise twist ending, Emmanuel himself reaches a terrible demise. The villagers who once turned on Moses now carry his body back as a hero - the man that made them believe in themselves again. And with this new found strength the village returns to prosperity – no longer robbed by the guerrillas and no longer under the controlling beliefs of the ju-ju curses. The child is now adopted and accepted by the community and the village itself is full of life once again.
Country(ies) : UNITED KINGDOM, NIGERIA Financing plan : Kayfabe Films Ltd. - Development fund Start of shooting : October 2011