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In a real-life Cinderella story, Abraham Attah was working as a street vendor in Accra, Ghana when he was randomly selected to take part in casting workshops for Netflix’s first original feature movie Beasts of No Nation. Even though this was his first ever movie role, and he was acting alongside Idris Elba, he managed to stand out. The teenager won the Marcello Mastroianni’s Best Young Actor Award at the 2015 Venice Film Festival.
He has raw talent
Abraham’s story is incredible. The director reported that the boy, who used to work as a street vendor, was playing hooky from school that day.
“We were playing football on our school field when a white man came and said, ‘We need some boys for a movie,’” the young boy told a press conference in Venice. “We went to a TV station in Ghana for an audition and…I was cast.”
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A powerful film
The movie is based on a 2005 novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala. The story follows a brutal civil war plaguing an unnamed West African country. In the intense film Abraham plays the part of Agu, a boy who is orphaned and then recruited as a child soldier in the civil war. Golden Globe-winning actor Idris Elba plays a savage warlord who takes the young boy under his wing and trains him into a killer. Viewers witness how an innocent soul cross over to darkness and how such violence is justified to these brainwashed young children. Elba’s performance is also being praised; one critic says his performance is chilling.
He impressed professionals
The film’s Emmy award winning director Cary Fukunaga said that Abraham has “zero film experience, little education…but he became a somewhat professional actor, which was astounding to watch.” The judges of the Venice film festival clearly agreed; many stated it was as if he had been performing all his life. One review states that he “plays Agu with a grave, soulful reserve that belies the fact that this is his first-ever screen performance. The actor has haunting scenes…” There is already Oscar buzz surrounding the movie. Beasts of No Nation becomes available on Netflix and selected movie theaters on October 16.
SEE ALSO: 10 African Actors And Actresses That Hit The Big Time.
