X
  • 2006
  • Not Rated
  • Cinema Libre Studio
  • 1 h 27 m
  • 2006
  • Not Rated
  • Cinema Libre Studio
  • 1 h 27 m
The Empire in Africa

Summary The rebels who started the civil war in Sierra Leone 15 years ago wanted only one thing: to reclaim the richness of the country from foreign corporations in order to end the exploitation of its people. In response, the international community decided to wage a war on this country, with bombs, executions, torture, rigged elections and ma...

Directed By: Philippe Diaz

  • 2006
  • Not Rated
  • Cinema Libre Studio
  • 1 h 27 m
  • 2006
  • Not Rated
  • Cinema Libre Studio
  • 1 h 27 m

The Empire in Africa

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews
51
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary The rebels who started the civil war in Sierra Leone 15 years ago wanted only one thing: to reclaim the richness of the country from foreign corporations in order to end the exploitation of its people. In response, the international community decided to wage a war on this country, with bombs, executions, torture, rigged elections and ma...

Directed By: Philippe Diaz

Top Cast

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Ahmad Tejan Kabbah

Self - President of Sierra Leone

Foday Sankoh

Self - Leader of the Revolutionary United Front

Mike Lamin

Self - Revolutionary United Front commander

Zainab Hawa Bangura

Self - Representative of civil society

Hassan Hujazi

Self - Rice importer

Joseph Melrose

Self - United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone

Steve Crossman

Self - United Kingdom Acting Ambassador

James Jonah

Self - Minister of Finances - Sierra Leone Ambassador to the UN

Michael Fletcher

Self - Honorary French Consul

Julius Spencer

Self - Minister of Information

Hinga Norman

Self - Minister of Defense

Pascal Lefort

Self - Action Against Hunger

Pascal Lefort

Self - Action Against Hunger

S.Y.B. Rogers

Self - Revolutionary United Front spokesperson

M.A. Carol

Self - President of the Chamber of Commerce

Johnny Paul Koroma

Self - Major of the Sierra-Leone Army

Gabriel Kpamber

Self - ECOMOG Commander-in-chief

John Weston

Self - UK Ambassador to the UN

Kofi Annan

Self - Secretary-General of the UN

Bill Richardson

Self - US Ambassador to the UN

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews
51
17% Positive
1 Review
83% Mixed
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews
51
17% Positive
1 Review
83% Mixed
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
63
Philippe Diaz's controversial documentary about the legacy of the brutal 1991-2002 civil war in Sierra Leone -- widely considered the poorest country in the world, despite its rich mineral resources -- suggests that the rebel faction RUF (Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone) was not alone in terrorizing civilians and committing atrocities, most famously the amputation of limbs with machetes.
By Maitland McDonagh FULL REVIEW
60
Cannily timed by lefty distributor Cinema Libre Studio to coincide with the release of Edward Zwick's Blood Diamond, Philippe Diaz's documentary claims to present Sierra Leone's civil war in a radically different light. More accurately, it shifts the emphasis and fills out the picture.
FULL REVIEW
60
Infused with a strong sense of moral outrage, The Empire in Africa provides more heat than light while attempting to explain the motives and methods of combatants who waged the 1991-2002 civil war in Sierra Leone.
By Joe Leydon FULL REVIEW
50
That "Empire" lacks clear-cut heroes and villains is not necessarily a fault, but the movie's muddle too often comes across as an attempt to avoid assigning responsibility where it belongs.
FULL REVIEW
50
A forest of talking heads and pointing fingers, The Empire in Africa is a noble but failed attempt to explicate the tragedy of the 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone.
By Jeannette Catsoulis FULL REVIEW
40
While The Empire in Africa offers a litany of talking heads and shockingly violent images in its exploration of the conflict, it is more confusing and disturbing than enlightening.
By Frank Scheck FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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Details

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Production Company Action Against Hunger, Cinema Libre Studio, Sceneries Europe
Release Date Dec 8, 2006
Duration 1 h 27 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Website https://vimeo.com/ondemand/empireinafrica
View All Details

Awards

Hollywood Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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