I saw this short film at Sundance where it was played just before the premier of The Devil Came on Horseback. This was definitely one of my favorite shorts at Sundance, primarily because the message behind the film is poignant and necessary, especially considering the reality for orphans living in the slums of sub-Saharan East Africa.
We follow Omondi through the slum that he lives in, Kibera, while voice-over of a child recites the poem that Diego Quemada-Diez wrote after interviewing orphans there. Omondi dreams of becoming a pilot, but also of living in a world where he can walk on clean grass and have access to clean water and an education, things that no child should have to dream about.
The footage of Kibera is harrowing, and it's very hard to come away from seeing the film without feeling profoundly motivated to do something about the situation that these children face on a day to day basis.
Juxtaposed with The Devil Came on Horseback, that evening turned out to be an emotional one for many audience members, a huge portion of whom cried during both films (myself included) in lieu of the horrors we were paying privy to.
Overall, I recommend this film to everyone, but in particular, those of us with true concern for global issues and the affect that poverty has on communities in third world countries. If you care, most likely, you'll come away determined to make a difference.
We follow Omondi through the slum that he lives in, Kibera, while voice-over of a child recites the poem that Diego Quemada-Diez wrote after interviewing orphans there. Omondi dreams of becoming a pilot, but also of living in a world where he can walk on clean grass and have access to clean water and an education, things that no child should have to dream about.
The footage of Kibera is harrowing, and it's very hard to come away from seeing the film without feeling profoundly motivated to do something about the situation that these children face on a day to day basis.
Juxtaposed with The Devil Came on Horseback, that evening turned out to be an emotional one for many audience members, a huge portion of whom cried during both films (myself included) in lieu of the horrors we were paying privy to.
Overall, I recommend this film to everyone, but in particular, those of us with true concern for global issues and the affect that poverty has on communities in third world countries. If you care, most likely, you'll come away determined to make a difference.