Independent Film, Documentary
Project: The Redemption of General Butt Naked (Sizzle Reel)
Joshua Milton Blahyi --aka General Butt Naked --was a ruthless and feared warlord during Liberia's 14-year civil war. Dubbed "General Butt Naked" for fighting with nothing more than an AK-47 and a pair of leather shoes, Blahyi believed he possessed supernatural powers that made him impervious to bullets. The general and his army of child soldiers are said to have killed thousands during Liberia's horrific civil war.
Today, Blahyi has renounced his violent past and reinvented himself as a Christian evangelist on a journey of self-proclaimed transformation. He is on a quest for redemption: facing those he once terrorized, preaching where he once murdered, and trying to rebuild the shattered lives of those he commanded during the war. Over the course of five years, this documentary tracks his often troubling path up-close, finding both the genuine and disconcerting in Blahyi's efforts. The film forces us to question the very nature of what true, meaningful reconciliation looks like in a country where justice has not been available.