War Child chronicles the tumultuous life of Emmanuel Jal, a veteran of the 20-year civil war in Sudan. His rise from orphan to child soldier to refugee to international rap star represents one of the 21st century’s most inspiring and hopeful stories. As one of tens of thousands of “lost boys” of the Sudan, Jal left his devastated home in 1987 at the age of 7 and soon joined the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, training to fight the Arab-dominated north right under the UN’s watch. After five years, he and his friends deserted, embarking on a harrowing journey where few survived. Now in his 20s, Jal uses his music to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the plight of child soldiers worldwide. “I believe I survived for a reason,” raps Jal in his hit “War Child,” and that reason is evident in every frame of filmmaker C. Karim Chrobog’s moving portrait.
C. Karim Chrobog is a first-time director/producer. He started his career in the media industry working at TimeWarner’s international public policy office. In 2005, Karim launched Tangier Pictures, an independent feature film company. Tangier Pictures is producing a feature film on Ibn Battutah, a colorful but forgotten 14th-century Moroccan adventurer. He is also working on a documentary, Kidnapped, which tells the story of his family’s kidnapping during a vacation gone awry in the South of Yemen three years ago. Karim holds a degree in international politics and a certificate in international business diplomacy from Georgetown University. He speaks German, Arabic, and English. Karim resides in Washington, DC.