Sixteen

Before being adopted by an aid worker named Laura, 16-year-old Jumah used to be a Congolese child soldier. Now they live together in multicultural London; Jumah is a good student and has just begun a relationship with schoolmate Chloe. But everything changes in an instant when he and a friend witness the murder of an old man. Jumah is once again exposed to intense psychological and physical pressure, and he is forced to react. Demonstrating understanding and a lack of sentimentality, the director succeeds in plumbing the turbulent inner depths of a teenage boy determined to conquer the demons of his past and create a new life in a foreign land. The character of young Jumah is played by Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, who turns in a spare yet highly focused and convincing performance. This sincere, realistically shot, and subtle debut with a clear message, in which the camera is virtually always within point-blank range of lead character Jumah, will screen at the Karlovy Vary festival as an international premiere. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)