Fambul Tok / First Run Features.

Filled with lessons for the West, this film explores a culture that believes true justice lies in redemption and healing for individuals, and that forgiveness is the surest path to restoring dignity and building strong communities. Victims and perpetrators of Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war come together for the first time in tradition-based truth-telling and forgiveness ceremonies. By reviving their ancient practice of fambul tok (family talk), Sierra Leoneans are building sustainable peace at the grassroots level. We are present in the most intimate of moments – at the bonfire where a rape victim pulls her perpetrator out of the crowd to hear his confession and apology; at the dramatic meeting between two previous best friends, the first time they have spoken in 17 years; when a haunted man admits to killing his friend’s father; on the search for a native son who killed 17 members of his own clan, so he could return and apologize for what he has done.

Academic/AP

Title from distributor's description