IDFA Bertha Fund 2012
Buddha in Africa
Nicole Schafer
Malawi, South Africa, Taiwan
In a Chinese Buddhist orphanage in Africa, a Malawian orphan from a rural village finds his life transformed through learning Mandarin, Buddhism and mastering the art of Shaolin Kung Fu. He dreams of becoming a Kung Fu film star like Jet Li one day and believes that through hard work he will be able to overcome the poverty in his life and help uplift his community. But how will he transcend the cultural differences between China and Africa in shaping his future? This is as much the intimate story of a young boy confronting the challenges of growing up between two cultures, as it is about the major geo-political shifts taking place between China, Africa and the West.