THE REDEMPTION OF GENERAL BUTT NAKED

This mesmerizing documentary tells the story of Joshua Milton Blahyi, a brutal African warlord turned Christian evangelist preacher. Apparently having renounced his violent past as an infamous butcher, Blahyi sets out on a crusade to rebuild the lives of those he brutalized, reconnect with the soldiers he abandoned, and answer for his sins at the War Crimes Tribunal. A shocking cinema vérité portrait that shakes your understanding of justice, forgiveness, and the power of charismatic leadership.  The Los Angeles Times called it, "a compelling portrait of an extraordinarily complex personal odyssey."

Director: Eric Strauss, Daniele Anastasion

Year: 2011

Distributor: Documentary Channel (US Television), Channel 4 (UK Teleivision)

Link: The Economist Film Project

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival (WINNER - US Documentary Competition Cinematography Award)

Bermuda Film Festival (WINNER - BEST DOCUMENTARY)

Gotham Awards (NOMINEE - Best Film Not Playing At A Theatre Near You)

International Documentary Awards (NOMINEE - Best Documentary Feature)

Independent Spirit Awards (NOMINEE - Best Documentary)

Pau International Film Festival (WINNER - Special Jury Award, Audience Award)

Links: Los Angeles Times Review

Praise:

ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE [SUNDANCE] FESTIVAL, The Redemption of General Butt Naked is an exemplary portrait of an antihero. - Vicki Robinson, FILMMAKER MAGAZINE

"An intriguing, bizarre, horrifying and thought-provoking doc... Utterly fascinating with a charismatic central figure -- love him or loathe him -- who is made for the big screen." - Kirk Honeycutt, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"Sometimes, a documentarian finds a subject so compelling that the best course of action is simply to turn on the camera and hang on for the ride... Blahyi is a charismatic speaker, and the film captures that perfectly -- as well as the way he has bared his soul in his effort to atone for years of murder." - Sean Means, THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

"This amazing docu confronts the contradictions of reconciliation in a war-ravaged continent." - Ronnie Schieb, VARIETY

"Blahyi’s multiple reconciliations are inherently moving, capturing numerous complex layers of emotions that no actor could possibly convey." - Eric Kohn, INDIEWIRE