Who is sorious samura

Known For. Blood Diamond Additional Crew. Out of Africa Cinematographer. Cry Freetown Director. CNN Presents Writer. Show all Hide all Show by Hide Show Writer 5 credits.

Hide Show Additional Crew 2 credits. Hide Show Director 1 credit. Hide Show Cinematographer 1 credit. Hide Show Producer 1 credit. Hide Show Self 23 credits.

Self - Reporter. Self - Presenter. These programmes fostered a more sophisticated understanding of my continent and won awards. Yet over the years I began to feel uneasy.

In many ways, we were covering the same old ground: African despair and desperation. More and more fellow Africans asked me to show a different side to my continent. It occurred to me that, despite my best intentions, I had perpetuated many of the same stereotypes that made me feel so angry about the state of Africa in my youth.

These thoughts hit me hard. I came to realise that the way our stories were being told was part of the problem. International media coverage of Africa has been one-dimensional.

It focuses on death, disease and disaster. We never saw an alternative perspective. The fact is that most TV editors at major broadcasters are not particularly interested in Africa, and when they are, their interest usually feeds into the well-worn narrative of Africa as nothing but a basket case continent where unspeakable things happen.

This is why I am so excited about a new project I am producing, a film that might have altered my early impressions of Africa had I seen it in my youth. For me, it is a rare chance to tell a different type of story from Africa, and particularly Sierra Leone — a country that has become a byword for African dysfunction.

No, we will not sanitise our history or our current circumstances. Our story will grapple with the issues facing my country, but it will also dig beneath them to find stories of hope, courage and inspiration. If our film means that even a handful of young Sierra Leoneans grow up with some more pride and hope for their country, I will feel we did an important job.

You can learn more at SierraLeoneTheFilm. You can get involved and donate to a crowdfunder campaign to support the film here. Toucing story. Following the release of Cry Freetown , the shocking account of his country's civil war, Sorious traveled to Liberia with an Insight film crew to investigate Liberian dictator Charles Taylor. Taylor had Sorious and the Insight team arrested, tortured, and held on capital espionage charges.

Cry Freetown was followed by another Emmy-winning film, Exodus from Africa , a story of young African migrants emigrating to Europe across the Sahara desert. Sorious is a strong advocate for empowering African journalists to tell their own stories.