King Deng: The Movie

Click here to watch the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctHlgI7f34w

King Deng:

The Original Lost Boy of Sudan

A feature length documentary film adaptation written, directed and produced by Valerie Clark

based on the book

Synopsis

There is no record of his real name or date of birth, only the name and date of birth he was assigned by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees).

King Deng: The Original Lost Boy of Sudan is the true story of Deng Akon (Makur Abiar) who received the very first designation of Lost Boy of Sudan status and his horrific, life-threatening journey to escape the eventual genocide he was facing along with his family and entire community and his heart-wrenching and often poignant adaptation to life of asylum in the United States. Deng’s story is a first-hand account of a coming-of-age leader of the broader implications of timely and global issues where he parallels the conflict in the Sudan to present day world conflicts rather than the typified isolated “north versus south” tale.

Deng Akon is the King of the Jurbile tribe in Southern Sudan, one of the most primitive civilizations of the modern world. As a boy, Little Deng was being groomed by the elders in his village of approximately 1,000,000 to be king one day as an adult. During this time the political tensions between the northern and southern Sudanese were escalating considerably.

As a teenager, Deng was kidnapped by the northern Arab army but escaped after they tried to recruit him. Then suddenly one day when Deng’s father set out to tend animals in the field, their village was overtaken by this same militia riding in on horseback armed with AK-47s shooting everyone in sight and setting fire to all of their huts. That was the last day Deng saw his father. His brother was killed. His mother had perished. Alone in the world, he ran for his life.

Deng hid and slept in lulu trees for days to avoid being caught by the army and to save himself from being eaten by hyenas who circled his tree at night. He survived just barely on the fruit from the lulu tree. With the sound of gunshots and exploding bombs in the distance, Deng knew the only chance of survival he had was to walk as far as he could to find safety. During those days and weeks Deng encountered other members from his village who escaped the tirade and they continued walking together. Then as they crossed the Nile and Guilo Rivers filled with crocodiles out of nowhere there was another attack by the northern Arab militia. There were dead bodies everywhere. A woman who Deng did not know at the time, Aluel, covered them with the lifeless human carcasses that had just been killed in order to hide. Bombs dropped overhead and Deng was hit with shrapnel. He shoved his intestines back inside his body and continued to walk when the gunfire ended.

Members of his tribe who he travelled with knew they had to keep their King alive to lead them. After Deng’s ceaseless trek through the Sahara Desert to Kenya and a seemingly unending interment in refugee camps, Deng received his assignment of Group 1 Zone 1 #1 to be processed as the first Lost Boy of Sudan out of the camp bound for the United States. Once settled, he assumed the full role of leader of his people.

This film unveils the mask that hides the true nature and intent of the conflict which was and still is to dominate the region for its natural resources. In his book Deng states, “They were ready to destroy anyone that would oppose their plan. Oil seemed to be the main concern of their conquest of the south… Their cravings and aspirations caused the exploitation of the mines and riches of the southern part…”

This is not a film about acculturation or an expose about adapting to the idiosyncrasies of American life but rather the true meaning of the Lost Boy designation and the powerful role of its domestic and international strategic marketability.  Deng’s account though is very personal, the applicability of the lessons he garnered from the elders in his village preparing him to lead his people, and the lessons learned through his journey and the political patterns that repeat themselves today offer a message of hopefulness but also warn of great danger. The circumstances that gave rise to the downfall of Deng’s village and the challenges that have continued during his time in the U.S. demonstrate that although we know in a very surface way about the conflict in Southern Sudan, we have not paid attention to how and why his village was a target and that the events that preceded that destruction could happen anywhere. Through interviews and re-enactments, this film will inform and educate about those similarities for individuals to judge for themselves.