AVAILABLE SOON

Joshua Milton Blahyi was a ruthless and feared warlord during Liberia's 14-year civil war in the late 1900s and early 2000s. Today, he has renounced his violent past and reinvented himself as a Christian evangelist on a journey of self-proclaimed transformation. Blahyi travels Liberia preaching and seeking out those he once victimized in search of an uncertain forgiveness.

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 the horrific civil war.

Following a dramatic conversion to Christianity, the General abruptly laid down his weapons in 1996, leaving behind his soldiers, his country, and a war that would rage for another seven years. Now, Blahyi 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. For five years, filmmakers tracked his often troubling path up-close, finding Blahyi's efforts both genuine and disconcerting.

The film forces viewers to question the very nature of what true, meaningful reconciliation looks like in a country where justice has not been available. In the end, are some crimes beyond forgiveness?

The film contains strong violence and is not suitable for all audiences.

"A compelling portrait of an extraordinarily complex personal odyssey, a film that explores both the power and the limitations of faith and forgiveness."
‒The Los Angeles Times

"This amazing docu confronts the contradictions of reconciliation in a war-ravaged continent."
‒Variety

"An intriguing, bizarre, horrifying and thought-provoking doc—Utterly fascinating with a charismatic central figure—love him or loathe him—who is made for the big screen. . . this is an extremely unsettling film that holds you tightly in its grip for its almost too short running time."
‒The Hollywood Reporter

Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary, Sundance Film Festival, 2011
Special Jury Prize and Audience Award, Pau International Film Festival, 2011
Best Documentary, Bermuda International Film Festival, 2011
Nominee, Best Documentary Award, nternational Documentary Award, 2011
Nominee, Best Documentary, Film Independent Spirit Awards, 2012
Nominee, Best Film Not Playing at a Theatre Near You, Gotham Awards, 2011

Select Additional Festival Screenings
Bergen International Film Festival, 2012
Calgary Film Festival, 2011
Canberra International Film Festival, 2011
Cleveland Film Festival, 2011
Hot Docs, 2011
Melbourne International Film Festival, 2011
Miami International Film Festival, 2011
Moscow International Film Festival, 2011
Open City London Documentary Festival, 2011
San Francisco International Film Festival, 2011
Seattle International Film Festival, 2011
True/False, 2011
WatchDocs, 2011