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A 14-year old Ghanaian street vendor, Attah Abraham has won the Marcello Mastroianni’s Best Young Actor Award at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. He won the award for his lead performance in a movie alongside Idris Elba.
According the Director of the movie, Cary Fukunaga, Atta Abraham was randomly selected on the streets.
Cary Fukunaga according to the Business Insider said: “the lead in ‘Beasts of No Nation’ was essentially a street vendor before we shot the film. [He had] zero film experience, little education…but he became a somewhat professional actor, which was astounding to watch.
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Abraham’s character joins a militant group from an unnamed West African country that is led by a brutal warlord, played by Idris Elba (“Luther”).
The kids are fast learners, they quickly understood that the better they did the longer they stayed [ as potential casts].”
He said Abraham performed extremely well.
By nature of us crossing into these people’s lives you have some responsibility there to make their lives better, but at the same time you’re not adopting a child, by any means,” Cary Fukunaga added
Source: Business Insider