Click to read the article
Darfur Now (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:56
Fresh:38
Rotten:18
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Although Darfur Now is not always engaging as cinema, the film succeeds in bringing attention to the crisis in Darfur.
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Synopsis: Documentarian Ted Braun's first theatrical work examines the genocide in Darfur through the eyes of six distinct individuals who are doing what they can to combat the situation. Recent UCLA... Documentarian Ted Braun's first theatrical work examines the genocide in Darfur through the eyes of six distinct individuals who are doing what they can to combat the situation. Recent UCLA graduate Adam Sterling is the director of the Sudan Divestment Task Force, which seeks to get states to divest funds in Sudan. Dr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo is an Argentine native serving as the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at The Hague, where he is investigating Sudanese leaders as war criminals. Ecuadorian Pablo Recalde is the head of the World Food Program in West Darfur, where he risks his life trying to get food to the sick and starving people in the region. Hejewa Adam has taken up arms in her homeland, joining a rebel group defending the Fur people and battling the Janjaweed and government forces. Ahmed Mohammed Abakar was forced to flee his village and is now the leader at a refugee camp in Hamadea, where some 50,000 displaced people live. And Oscar nominee Don Cheadle, after starring in HOTEL RWANDA, has written a book, NOT ON OUR WATCH, with John Prendergast, that helps people understand genocide--and gives them information on what they can do to stop it. Each of these people is making a difference in Darfur in a different way, through the legal system, legislation, the media, and even violence if necessary, in order to save and protect a people under siege. DARFUR NOW is not a partisan film; it demonstrates how men and women in all walks of life and with various religious and political beliefs can come together to effect change. The film was begun with a grant from Steven Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation. [More]
Starring: Don Cheadle
Starring: Don Cheadle
Director: Ted Braun
Director: Ted Braun
Screenwriter: Ted Braun
Producer: Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Mark Jonathan Harris
Composer: Graeme Revell
Studio: Warner Independent
Reviews for Darfur Now
[Its] approach is effective at mobilizing audiences to support charitable causes, but it doesn't always translate into compelling viewing. (Feel free to stop reading this now and check out savedarfur.org, darfurgenocide.org, or helpdarfurnow.org).
Nelson Mandela may not have defeated South African apartheid, but his story mobilized worldwide protest, which explains the focus on individuals in this effective advocacy film about the genocide in Darfur.
If it accomplishes nothing else, Darfur Now locates Sudan on the map -- More than that, the film provides faces for the people of Darfur.
This is the kind of film that doesn't end after the credits roll, and it's a gold-star example for what a documentary should do: inspire.
Hopefully, well-crafted and moving films such as Darfur Now will inspire more people to take that small but significant first step toward ending these atrocities.
In a way that news reports so often fail to do, Darfur Now puts a deeply human face on a global crisis.
Almost conclusively portrays the Darfur problem as no longer a problem. But even if so, Darfur Now is not really a film about the Darfur problem, anyway.
Frankly, there's a way to get a message across and this sort of talking heads doc by numbers isn't it.
Darfur Now has drawn criticism for its artless construction, and while it's true, he knows to step aside and let the passion of his subjects shine through.
Darfur Now does one thing other documentaries on the region in western Sudan haven't done so far: It offers hope that something substantive may be done about the Darfur genocide.
A documentary exploring the roots and reason of African political corruptness and its history of a tribal violence that shows no signs of abating might have done more to raise real outrage.
This passionate documentary about the African genocide persuasively argues the immediacy of the situation.
A call to arms of sorts, raising awareness of the land, the people, and the possibility for change, this documentary is not intended to depress, but to ignite passion for all causes great and small.
Latest News for Darfur Now
November 07, 2007:
Interview: Darfur Now Producer Cathy Schulman On Getting Involved
Rotten Tomatoes spoke with Oscar-winning producer Cathy Schulman -- one of the producers of the new humanitarian doc, Darfur Now -- about the difficulties in making the film,... More...
November 04, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: American Gangster Crushes Competition at #1
The North American box office exploded thanks to the scorching debuts of the Denzel Washington-Russell Crowe crime drama American Gangster and Jerry Seinfeld's animated comedy... More...
November 01, 2007:
Critical Consensus: American Gangster is Certified Fresh, Bee's a B-, Martian Alienates
This week at the movies, we've got crime lords (American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe), busy bees (Bee Movie, starring Jerry Seinfeld), and kids from... More...
October 26, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Darfur Now at Rotten Tomatoes
- Darfur Now at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

