IS Africa United the African Version of SlumDog Millionaire?

Eriya Ndayambaje, Sherrie Silver, Sanyu Kintu , Yves Dusenge and Roger Nsengiyumva - all seen here in a scene from 'Africa United'. Apart from Dusenge and Kintu, the other 3 are all Rwandan teenagers

Its the Question on everyone's mind, cant wait till this Movie is done since we cant judge yet.... its a story of three Rwandan kids who walk 3000 miles to the Soccer World Cup in South Africa,Using a sack load of ingenuity and sass (and a World Cup wall chart for a map), as they walk they gather a tribe - a ragamuffin team - of broken and brilliant characters who help them negotiate a way through a series of glorious, dangerous, hilarious and often bizarre situations. Through these kids,experience the hard reality of an epic walk through seven countries; as well as the joy, laughter and hope - 'the ubuntu' - that comes from making an incredible journey together. Written by Rhidian Brook 

Watch the Trailer




With funding from the Rwandan government, along with BBC Films, the UK Film Council and Pathé, the film is the first formal British/Rwandan co-production as well as the first feature-length film by director Debs Gardner-Paterson and the first film script of BBC drama writer and novelist Rhidian Brook. I'M having high expectations, I hope it lives upto it. With all the funding talk and the 'incredible directors' listing I do hope it lives up to my expectations

Roger, 17, whose mother Illuminée fled with him to Britain after his Tutsi father John was killed in the 1994 genocide, was approached to star in the film after the producer spotted a picture of him in a local newspaper.
Mark Blaney, the producer, was struggling to find an actor to play Fabrice, a middle-class Rwandan football fanatic whose dream of appearing in the World Cup's opening ceremony in Johannesburg prompts the film's epic journey.
Last Christmas, while staying with his mother-in-law, he picked up a copy of the Norfolk Journal to read an article about a book written by Mrs Nsengiyumva - featuring a photograph of the author and her 16-year-old son.The film Producer looked in the BT telephone directory,phoned on Christmas Eve and said, 'I know this may sound very strange but I'm a film producer and think your son might be brilliant for our film'." And that was just how it all started....

Roger was flown, together with Sherrie Silver, 15, who was born in Rwanda but lives in South London and plays child prostitute Celeste, to South Africa where filming began before moving to Rwanda and Burundi.They were joined by Eriya Ndayambaje, 15, a Rwandan who plays Dudu, a 13-year-old Aids orphan who lives in a shack and acts as Fabrice's "manager", Ugandan Sanyu Kintu, 11, who plays Dudu's sister Beatrice, and Ugandan Yves Dusenge, 15, who plays ex-child soldier Foreman George.
While the characters' pasts spell out the tragedies of Africa.
Roger said he was proud to play a part in changing attitudes towards his former home.
"People don't need reminding that there's bad stuff going on in Africa, but there's also an amazing, colourful side to it that should be shown too," said Roger.
"Rwanda now has the most women in parliament in any African country, Kigali is one of the cleanest cities, with some of the finest hotels in Africa.
"I think Rwanda, and Africa as a whole, is moving on and hopefully this film will be part of that."