* Project Update* We're so grateful to have met our goal! Any additional funds we can generate will go directly into the production value of the film. We set our goal at $10,000 so we would be able to get to South Sudan this summer with all the equipment we need. There will be lots of costs when we get back with all the great footage. The birth of this new nation, and the work of SELFSudan is a great story, please keep spreading it around.

Cheers,

Andrew & Erik

Nyuol Tong is a former South Sudanese refugee. Throughout his childhood, government-armed militiamen on horseback raided villages in his area to burn fields, steal cattle, murder adult males and enslave women and children. Sudanese government helicopters frequently rained bullets and bombs down onto homes.

These circumstances forced Nyuol's family to flee to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. For about six years, Nyuol and his family lived on the streets and in huts as refugees, experiencing extreme discrimination and pungent poverty. In 2003 Nyuol's family fled from Khartoum to Cairo, Egypt. There, through his determined quest for education and with the help of an American professor at the American University in Cairo, he was granted a student visa to the United States and admission to Dunn School in California, in the fall of 2006. He now attends Duke University.

Nyuol believes that education is the only way Southern Sudan can be liberated from the legacy of war. While in High School, Nyuol founded the Sudanese Education for Liberty Foundation (SELF) and began touring the country speaking about his experience and the need for education. Through his talks he began to raise money to build his first school in South Sudan. Construction on the Malualdit Ayeit Liberty Academy begins in May, 2011. By the end of the summer, 2 classrooms of the 7 building complex will be finished and children will be able to start attending class.

Two film makers are traveling to Sudan in July to document the start of the school, the founding of a new country, and the transformation of a community. In the end, we will make a short documentary film that paints a portrait of the village, the people there, and the hope that come with new beginnings. The film will be submitted to film festivals and screened at speaking engagements and fundraising events. Our mission is to tell a great story, and raise awareness for SELF and it's amazing project.

Where will the money go?

The first and most important thing the money will go toward is travel. It is going to cost about $3000 apiece for the two film makers to travel to South Sudan. The second thing is equipment. Because of the challenges of shooting in a remote location, there are certain pieces of gear that will be necessary to do the project justice. Finally funding will be necessary for editing when we return. After we have captured all the amazing footage, it takes time and money to edit together a film, score it with original music, and get it ready for viewing in different forms. There are also other costs like film festival submission fees.

We're not asking for all the money we need, but if we meet our goal, all of the initial costs of the project will be covered and the film should be completed this year. If we exceed our goal (THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!), the editing timeline will be sped up and we can start to explore DVD distribution and other marketing avenues for the film.

Rewards: The Best Part

There are lots of great rewards for backing this project. From being able to download and see the film, to original pieces of art, to private time with the the film makers and Nyuol himself, we want you to feel like you are a part of the project, and a part of the transformation of the community. By becoming a backer, you automatically give this film an audience, and we hope you share it with your friends and family.

Please visit SELF's website (www.selfsudan.org) to learn more about their project in the village of Ayeit, South Sudan.