We’ll get to see him on screen for the very first time when Netflix releases "Beasts of No Nation" on Friday, October 16, 2015 worldwide on Netflix, and on the same day in select USA theaters.
And as was the case for recent child stars making their acting debuts in rather high profile projects (or at least, projects that went on to become high profile), like Quvenzhané Wallis in "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (coincidentally, another film with the word "Beasts" in its title, starring a black child actor), and Rachel Mwanza in "War Witch," I wonder what Abraham Attah’s future as an actor, after "Beasts of No Nation," will look like… assuming of course that acting is something that he and his parents are even interested in pursuing.
But maybe both of those mysteries have been answered – at least, in part – thanks to news I received today that alerted me to what will be Attah’s next project – a short film titled "Out of the Village," by Jonathan Stein (his directing debut).
In brief, the film follows a brother and his sister who seek closure after Ebola ravages their village. The film, which was shot in Ghana in West Africa, is finished; the film’s Kickstarter campaign page ($23,000 was raised earlier this year to complete it) says that the film was "in the can" as of July 31, as the film festival submission process begins. Whether the film has been accepted into any festivals yet isn’t public info; although it’s been only a month since it was finished – just in time to meet Sundance’s submission deadline most likely, where I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see it premiere in January of 2016. By then, the world will know who Abraham Attah is (especially if he receives any awards consideration for his starring role in "Beasts of No Nation"). And that might help the short film in terms of the amount of press it receives once it begins its film festival tour.
But first, we wait for "Beasts of No Nation" to debut just over a month from now. Reviews from its domestic and international festival premieres at Telluride and Venice in the last week have been stellar, so it’s off to a great start.
"Beasts" is based on the highly acclaimed novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala, bringing to life the gripping tale of Agu, a child soldier torn from his family to fight in the civil war of an unnamed African country. Newcomer Abraham Attah stars as Agu, while Idris Elba plays the role of Commandant, a warlord who takes in Agu and instructs him in the ways of war.
When the Netflix deal was announced, Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said "Beasts of No Nation" is a powerful film that unfolds beautifully in the hands of director Fukunaga, adding that Idris Elba delivers what he called a "career-defining performance."
RELATED: Before ‘Beasts of No Nation’ There Was ‘War Witch’
Below you’ll find the Kickstarter pitch video for "Out of the Village" which doesn’t include any footage unfortunately; just the director talking about the project:
