Geoff Girardin

Rough Cut: Why I Want You to Burst Into Tears.

Invisible Children is, to quote their website,

a non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial resources to invisible children by documenting their
true, untold stories in a creative and relevant way, resulting in positive change.

Basically, the invisible children we’re talking about are the children of Uganda, who are being kidnapped from their homes in the middle of the night, and being forced to fight as soldiers for the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group led by Joseph Kony, which hopes to overthrow the Ugandan government.

The war between the LRA and the government has been going on for over 20 years, and thousands of children have been killed over the years. Three young film makers made a trip to Africa in 2003 and found themselves in the midst of the heartbreaking situation. They connected with the kids who were on the run from the LRA, who were scared and alone, knowing that if they were ever found, many of them would be killed on the spot, or drafted into the rebel group.

The three men witnessed hundreds of children commuting from their respective villages to a bus park in a larger city, so that they don’t get taken from their houses while they were asleep. They met two young brothers, who were wanted by name from the Lord’s Resistance Army, and would be killed on sight if they were ever found. They met many kids in these types of situations, who even at that young of an age, just simply wanted to die.

But the kids also have an immense happiness that can only be described as, hope. None of them have been alive long enough to know what life is like without the threat. But amazingly, even after all of the awful things that they have witnessed and experienced, they are kids. And they have a joy that we can’t really figure out.

Invisible Children: Rough Cut is the documentary. They are planning on making a feature film, but there are issues there that they are working out. However, the Rough Cut is no less powerful, even though it’s an early version. It is $10 on their website, and well worth the purchase. It shows what the three men experienced while they were in Uganda, it documents the history of the war with the rebels, and it showcases what these kids are dealing with every day, on a personal level.

Go to http://invisiblechildren.com and learn more about the movement. Read about their current campaign, to get President Barack Obama to pass an LRA Disarmament Bill, and raise national awareness of the situation in Uganda.

Currently 253, 512 people have signed the Citizens Arrest Warrant for Joseph Kony, and 193 members of Congress have co-sponsored the LRA Disarmament Bill.

Here’s the trailer for Invisible Children: Rough Cut. If it interests you, I encourage you to order the DVD. It’s worth it.

http://invisiblechildren.com