THE STORY

Fourteen-year-old Shamira Muhammed and her disabled mother flee brutal civil war in South Sudan to seek safety in a Ugandan refugee camp. Shamira recounts her harrowing journey, as we uncover the political corruption and cultural instability that displaced her.

THE CONTEXT

Led by former warlords, South Sudan (the world’s newest country) is in the middle of a feud between its political leaders. Exploiting past cultural tensions, those in power are actively militarizing their respective tribes to fight against the other, masking personal interests as the nation’s. Institutionalized rape, thousands of child soldiers, and ultimately genocide are the products of greed and lack of national accountability.

With half of South Sudan’s population displaced, Uganda becomes the continent’s largest host country, and the world’s view of “refugees” grows increasingly distorted. Can we truly understand the plight of a refugee group? Are South Sudan’s leaders even interested in peace? Will the world ever hold them accountable? The Bricks is a commentary of the world’s perception of refugees, our loss of innocence, and our capacity to dehumanize one another.

THE GIRL

Among all this is Shamira, a girl who can lift heavy bags of rations, take wisecrack shots at the boys in her camp, and…is a refugee. Shamira is unlike her peers; lighter-skinned and tribe-less, she’s an outcast even at home. Her Turkish father fled when she was young, and it wasn’t long before she and her mother realized their own need to leave. As today’s peace treaties fail and the war rages in the background, Shamira recounts the horrors of her journey to Uganda. Plagued by murder, rape, and even cannibalism, is the three-week journey one that Shamira and her remaining family can survive?

Director: Brandon Gulish / Beau Rosario

Cinematographer: Beau Rosario

Producer: Beau Rosario / Brandon Gulish / Clint Rosario / Andrew Bilindabagabo / Carley Bilindabagabo

In Association With: Ingoma Films

Editors: Beau Rosario / Aidan Guynes