Introduction

Feature-length documentary following UK surgeon John Buckels and a team of international and local medics as they battle to save the lives of people caught up a major humanitarian disaster in war-ravaged South Sudan. This raw and visceral film offers a snapshot of life inside one of the world’s largest refugee camps, and the often brutal and unforgiving conditions of a country torn apart by ten years of conflict.

Outline

This is a harrowing despatch from a little-reported war. In South Sudan – the world’s newest country – seven years of civil war have forced four million people from their homes. Nathaniel Lippiett’s film visits a makeshift hospital at a UN camp housing 100,000 of them. The hospital is run by South Sudanese staff, while a team of ex-pat medics operate on casualties brought into the hospital around the clock. In gruelling scenes, we watch as British surgeon John Buckels assesses a ten-year-old girl attacked by armed men and left for dead, and a group of boys wounded by an exploding grenade. It’s a painful testament to the work of Médecins Sans Frontières.

Trivia

• Filming took place in early 2020, during the time that fragile peace was declared in South Sudan, and was completed ahead of the COVID-19 lockdown.
• The documentary was originally scheduled to air later in 2020 but was released in April 2021.

Production & Filming Details

• Presenter(s):
• Director(s):
  • Nathaniel Lippiett.
• Producer(s):
  • Nathaniel Lippiett … executive producer.
  • Ian Rumsey … executive producer (ITN Productions).
• Writer(s):
• Music:
• Cinematography:
• Editor(s):
• Production:
  • ITN Productions.
• Distributor(s):
  • Channel 5.
• Release Date: 20 April 2021.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Running Time: 67 minutes (without adverts) and 90 minutes (with adverts).
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link