MONDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2010

This hard-hitting drama, by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, depicts the violent, dehumanised world of child Liberian soldiers – it shocked and compelled audiences when it was screened at both Cannes and the BFI London Film Festival in 2008.
Fiction based on horrifying fact, Johnny Mad Dog portrays the atrocities of an ongoing civil war in an unnamed African nation.
Fifteen-year-old Johnny Mad Dog heads a platoon of soldiers who are younger than he is. Charged with overtaking a city in an attempt to unseat the government, Johnny leads this band of killers on a murderous rampage toward their destination. Meanwhile, the studious Laokolé lives with her young brother and disabled father and dreams of a better life—until Johnny’s hurricane of destruction comes her way. Shot in Liberia, many of the phenomenal young actors actually lived through conflicts that inspired this film.
They bring the weight of their own experiences to the screen and unleash some of the bravest and most genuine performances you will ever see.