Survivors

Through the eyes of Sierra Leonean filmmaker Arthur Pratt, Survivors presents a heart-connected portrait of his country during the Ebola outbreak, exposing the complexity of the epidemic and the sociopolitical turmoil that lies in its wake. The film chronicles the remarkable stories of two Sierra Leonean healthcare workers during what is now widely regarded as the most acute public health crisis of the modern era.

Survivors explores both the personal as well as the political turmoil that the Ebola outbreak exposed in Sierra Leone. Filmmaker and pastor Pratt’s footage provides intimate access to the daily lives of these workers, giving a multidimensional view of both their struggles and the triumphs, as Sierra Leone faces the terrifying epidemic. Survivors interweaves the heroic stories of Mohamed Bangura, the senior ambulance driver at the country’s main emergency vehicle dispatch; and Margaret Kabba Sesay, a nurse who works at the Emergency Ebola Treatment Center, caring for some of the sickest patients. Through observational footage of these characters’ daily lives and Arthur’s first-person account of his own family's experience, the film not only explores how the epidemic ravaged families and communities, but also exposed broken infrastructures, deep misunderstandings between international aid organizations and the communities they serve, as well as unresolved political tensions after the decade-long civil war.

As Sierra Leone moves towards containment of the outbreak, we see international organizations draw down their support and begin to understand how the future of the region will be profoundly shaped by the complex decisions made and actions taken by individuals like Margaret, Mohammed, and Arthur. In this way, Survivors explores what it means to be Sierra Leonean at this critical juncture in the country’s history.