TWELVE DISCIPLES OF NELSON MANDELA
A Son’s Tribute to Unsung Heroes

Synopsis:
Confronted by the death of his stepfather, Director Thomas Allen Harris embarks on a journey of reconciliation with the man who raised him as a son but whom he could never call “father.”  B. Pule Leinaeng ("Lee") was an ANC foot soldier, who sacrificed his life for the freedom of his country.  As part of the first wave of South African exiles, Lee and his eleven comrades left their home in Bloemfontein in 1960 to broadcast to the world the brutality of the apartheid system and to raise support for the African National Congress (“ANC”) and its leaders, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo. Drawing upon the memories of the surviving disciples and their families, young South African actors portray the harrowing events of the exodus and exile and in so doing, forge their own reconciliation between the generations.

Reviews:
"An important documentary" - The New York Times
"Intensely personal yet historically expansive" - Time Out New York
"Inspiring" - The Tennessean "
"A fascinating hybrid" - New York Magazine

Director Bio:
Born in the Bronx and raised in New York City and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Thomas Allen Harris is a graduate of Harvard College, Cum Laude, with a degree in Biology.  His critically acclaimed documentary, É Minha Cara/That’s My Face (2001) premiered at the Toronto, Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals and won seven international awards, including the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury of Christian Churches at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival. A recipient of a United States Artist Award as well as  Guggenheim, Rockefeller and Sundance Directors Fellowships, Mr. Harris is a visiting Professor of Media Arts at Sarah Lawrence College. Mr. Harris worked as a producer for public television in New York, prior to founding Chimpanzee Productions, Inc. a company dedicated to producing unique visual experiences that illuminate the human condition and the search for identity, family, and spirituality. Chimpanzee Productions is currently developing several new projects, including a sex comedy entitled On The DL and a documentary series entitled Reflections In Black: Black Photographers from 1840 to the Present.  Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela has won several international awards including Best Documentary at the Pan African Film Festival and was Mr. Harris’ third film to make its world premiere at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. Click here to read an interview with director Thomas Allen Harris.