Located in West Africa, Sierra Leone is a country caught in a struggle between extreme poverty and extreme wealth. While diamond mining provides most of the country’s income, most people make ends meet by growing their own crops.
In 1991, a civil war broke out in Sierra Leone, during which a rebel group known as the Revolutionary United Front clashed with government forces to fight for a fairer economy and end hunger.
However, the forces behind Sierra Leone’s mining interests are more concerned with protecting their investments than transforming the economy, and both the army and the RUF have used indiscriminate violence against all parties involved.
In all, 70,000 people were killed, millions lost their homes and thousands were maimed during the nearly 15 years of fighting.
Filmmaker Philippe Diaz takes film crews to fighting Sierra Leone to document the bloodshed and tell the stories behind the atrocities;
African Empire is the result, which includes interviews with politicians and military officers and footage of chaos. African Empire had its North American premiere at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival.
