Plus de deux millions de Soudanais ont trouvé la mort dans la plus longue guerre civile que le monde ait connu. 20 années de guerre et cinq millions de civils abandonnant leur terre pour échapper au conflit. A Great Wonder : Lost Children of Sudan retrace l’extraordinaire voyage de trois des 17 000 jeunes orphelins soudanais, les « enfants perdus » du Soudan, qui ont passé la majeure partie de leur vie sur les routes de l’exil ou dans les camps de réfugiés de l’Ethiopie et du Nord du Kenya. Survivants miraculés du conflit armé, de la maladie, de la famine, leur arrivée et leur réadaptation à Seattle dans l’Etat de Washington aux Etats-Unis est une histoire d’immigration hors du commun.
Pendant 18 mois, leurs propres caméras vidéos digitales au poing, ces jeunes ont filmé les moments clés de leur nouvelle vie. Les « journaux » vidéos qui résultent de ce tournage sont le fil conducteur intime du documentaire. Aux témoignages de leur douloureux vécu de guerre s’entremêlent les différentes phases de leur nouvelle vie d’immigrés aux Etats-Unis.
Une histoire de survie dans sa forme la plus dépouillée, A Great Wonder : Lost Children of Sudan explore les thèmes de la dépossession, de la foi en l’avenir, de l’importance de la communauté, et de la liberté. Ce documentaire témoigne aussi de la force intérieure et du courage qui ont conduit ces jeunes à reconstruire leur vie.

(61 minutes) Ethiopie/Kenya/Soudan/USA

Langue: Anglais
Sous-titrage: Anglais


« The best film I have seen…on refugee settlement. » (« Le meilleur film que j’ai pu voir… sur les camps de réfugiés. »)
Susan Baukhages, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

61 minutes
DVD-R disponible (Bullfrog Films)
Couleur / Stéréo
Public autorisé: 10 – 12, College, Adulte
Date de sortie aux USA Date : 2004
Date de Copyright : 2003
ISBN (VHS): 1-59458-031-6
ISBN (DVD): 1-59458-041-3



FESTIVAS / AWARDS / PRIX / TELEVISIONS

CINE Golden Eagle Award

1st Travelling Festival – UNAFF – United Nations Association Film Festival. Paris, France
> Selection

Seattle International Film Festival
> Best Documentary

Syracuse International Film & Video Festival
> Best Short Documentary

Athens International Film and Video Competition
> Documentary Award Winner

Columbus International Film & Video Festival
> Honorable Mention

Locarno International Film Festival
> Selection

Vancouver International Film Festival
> Selection

Film Arts Festival of Independent Cinema
> Selection

Annapolis Film Festival
> Selection

Santa Fe Film Festival
> Selection

United Nations Association Film Festival
> Selection

MountainFilm, Telluride
> Selection

Northwest Film & Video Festival
> Selection

Global Visions Film Festival, Edmonton
> Selection

Ashland Independent Film Festival
> Selection

East Lansing Film Festival
> Selection

Ojai Film Festival
> Selection

African Diaspora Film Festival, New York
> Selection

Northwest Festival of African Cinema
> Selection

Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival
> Selection

San Diego Human Rights Film Festival> Selection

Plymouth Independendent Film Festival
> Selection

More than 2 million Sudanese have died in the longest uninterrupted civil war in the world, now in its 20th year. Another 5 million civilians have fled their homes to escape the fighting. A Great Wonder : Lost Children of Sudan traces the extraordinary journey of three young Sudanese orphans, a fraction of the 17,000 so-called « Lost Boys » of Sudan, who have spent the majority of their lives either in flight from war or in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. Having navigated the hazards of warfare, disease and starvation, their arrival and resettlement in Seattle, WA, is not your average immigration story.
Over the course of 18 months, these youths have recorded their own experiences through their own eyes and in their own words using digital video cameras. The resulting « diaries » serve as a personal thread throughout the film, incorporating first-hand accounts of their experiences in war with their radically different lives as immigrants in America. A story of survival in its most elemental form, A Great Wonder Lost Children of Sudan explores the concepts of loss, faith, community and freedom as it bears witness to the spirit that drives these young people to rebuild their lives.


(61 minutes) Ethiopia/Kenya/Sudan/USA

Directed by Kim Shelton
Produced by Two Shoes Productions
Co-Producer, Camera: Leigh Kimball
Editor: Jennifer Chinlund
Music: Todd Boekelheide
Langage: English


« The best film I have seen…on refugee settlement. »
Susan Baukhages, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service


61 minutes
DVD-R version available (Bullfrog Films)
Color / Stereo
Grade Level: 10 – 12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 2004
Copyright Date: 2003
ISBN (VHS): 1-59458-031-6
ISBN (DVD): 1-59458-041-3



FESTIVAS / AWARDS / PRIX / TELEVISIONS

CINE Golden Eagle Award

1st Travelling Festival – UNAFF – United Nations Association Film Festival. Paris, France
> Selection

Seattle International Film Festival
> Best Documentary

Syracuse International Film & Video Festival
> Best Short Documentary

Athens International Film and Video Competition
> Documentary Award Winner

Columbus International Film & Video Festival
> Honorable Mention

Locarno International Film Festival
> Selection

Vancouver International Film Festival
> Selection

Film Arts Festival of Independent Cinema
> Selection

Annapolis Film Festival
> Selection

Santa Fe Film Festival
> Selection

United Nations Association Film Festival
> Selection

MountainFilm, Telluride
> Selection

Northwest Film & Video Festival
> Selection

Global Visions Film Festival, Edmonton
> Selection

Ashland Independent Film Festival
> Selection

East Lansing Film Festival
> Selection

Ojai Film Festival
> Selection

African Diaspora Film Festival, New York
> Selection

Northwest Festival of African Cinema
> Selection

Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival
> Selection

San Diego Human Rights Film Festival> Selection

Plymouth Independendent Film Festival
> Selection