THE CONGO REDEMPTION
"The Heart Of One Man Will Change The World."
STORY SYNOPSIS: In the late 1800’s the first African-American Presbyterian missionary courageously embarked on a journey deep into the Congo and found the heart of one man could change the course of life for millions. This gripping and awe inspiring, fact based, “Amistad” meets “The Mission” meets “Blood Diamond” feature length film follows the selfless life of William Sheppard through the perils of a lawless and tumultuous land half a world away.
Against all odds, William Sheppard, the son of a former slave, pursues his childhood dream of going to Africa as a missionary and search for identity as a man. Intelligent and athletic, Sheppard enters Hampton college where he falls in love with Lucy Gant. After years of discrimination in the South, Sheppard is finally approved for missionary service, but not before he’s first partnered with a very inexperienced and very white missionary, Rev. Samuel Lapsley.
An awkward friendship develops as the two travel to Europe for supplies and then, into the “the white man’s graveyard” of the Congo. Owned entirely by the evil King Leopold II of Belgium, Sheppard and Lapsley have no idea of the dangers, slavery and atrocities that await them. Battling life-threatening elements and disease, a warm friendship develops as Sheppard and Lapsley establish a thriving mission along the great Congo River. When the jungle takes the life of his good friend and confidant, Lapsley, Sheppard’s grief and weakness as a man compromises his integrity with a ransomed slave girl.
Ascending to the man he could never become in America, Sheppard becomes the great missionary hunter, explorer and adventurer who discovers the secret Kuba Kingdom. Now deemed the “Black Livingstone,” Sheppard’s exploits lead him before British royalty, U.S. Presidents, churches and universities across America. His marriage to Lucy and the expansion of the Congo mission are tempered by his battle with inner demons and Leopold’s insatiable lust for riches via the Congo rubber trade. Slaughtering millions of slaves, Leopold squares off against Sheppard in battle of epic proportions.
Sheppard takes on the cannibalistic Zappo Zap tribe and the Congo Free State they serve, speaking out against the slavery atrocities in the Congo. Worldwide outrage against Leopold follows, prompting a slander lawsuit against Sheppard by Leopold. Still fighting his inner demons, Sheppard now faces an even greater battle. Pitting America, Europe, and Africa against Belgium, Sheppard stands at the center of the first international human rights trial. The battle for freedom is on.
Genre: DRAMA
Estimated Budget: $50M
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| JUNGLE PRINCE | CONGO REDEMPTION | SINBAD | ORDINARY LIFE | FAST PITCH | ENOCH ARDEN | |
