Sierra Leone: The Film is the inspiring story of a famous playwright and his mission to change his nation with great art.
About this project
Sierra Leone: The Film
The most famous theatre director in Sierra Leone — a West African nation stricken by Ebola, extreme poverty, civil war and devoid of even a single theatre venue — wants to stage the most ambitious play in his country’s history — a play to restore hope, re-awaken a lost culture and unite his people around a vision of a better future.
Charlie Haffner is Sierra Leone’s most beloved theatre director. After decades watching his country crumble and seeing his people leave in search of better lives, he’s had enough. Charlie wants to create a play unlike anything his people have seen: a great work of art to inspire the next generation of leaders to stay and rebuild.
Sierra Leone used to be a beacon of African progress, peace and prosperity. Today it is one of the continent’s poorest countries without even a single dedicated theatre venue. Charlie has always used villages and town squares as sets and locals as actors. Writing, directing and staging the play will be a journey of dogged determination, bitter frustrations and rich rewards. Can he restore a nation’s pride?
This is the story of a celebrated cultural mind in one of the world’s most troubled countries taking on the greatest challenge of his life — to create a work of art that will change his country for the better.
Why Sierra Leone?
Because Charlie Haffner’s mission can bring joy and inspiration to the world, and those are in short supply these days, especially in his home country. Your support will allow us to finish the film and show it to the world.
We are incredibly close to fully funding this film. We have already secured 75% of the production budget and with your help we can make this film a reality. The remaining 25% will allow our award-winning team to share Charlie’s story with the world and set the stage for Sierra Leone’s cultural comeback.
The Team
Producer SORIOUS SAMURA is a multiple Emmy winner. A native of Sierra Leone, he is a widely respected film and television producer.
Executive Producer NICK FRASER is Commissioning Editor for the BBC’s Storyville strand. He was executive producer of Man on Wire, which won an Oscar for Best Documentary, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the BAFTA Award.
Director CLIVE PATTERSON is a critically-acclaimed young director and producer whose work has appeared on the BBC, Channel 4 and Al Jazeera English.
Music Composer DANIEL PLATZMAN is a Grammy winning musician, producer, and drummer in the superstar rock band Imagine Dragons and is creating an original score that will combine locally sourced and recorded Sierra Leonean music with dramatic, percussive compositions.
NOTE: All rewards will be fulfilled after the campaign ends. This includes “in honor of” donations and social media shout outs.
Risks and challenges
This is an ambitious project. Our goal is to produce a film that will be seen widely in Sierra Leone and around the world. Charlie has a huge task ahead of him. Documenting it will take us to every corner of Sierra Leone.
This is not Charlie’s first play and this is not our first film. Our production team has unrivaled experience working in high-risk environments, including sub-Saharan Africa, the Horn of Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East. Charlie knows Sierra Leone better than anyone alive.
With your support, we can finish this story together.