Buffalo 8 has acquired worldwide rights out of Cannes to The President and the Dragon, a documentary from Irish filmmaker Ian D. Murphy and Sudanese filmmaker Waleed Eltayeb.
The President and the Dragon, co-directed by Irish director-cinematographer Ian D. Murphy (The Ginger Jesus) and Sudanese writer, director and producer Waleed Eltayeb (Diamonds, Backpacks and a Matchbox), has been acquired by Buffalo 8 for distribution.
The film follows former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, a crew of public health veterans, ex-child soldiers, and local volunteers coming together in an attempt to eradicate Guinea worm disease.
The disease is a parasitic infection caused by the roundworm Dracunculus medinensis, and primarily affects poor communities in remote parts of Africa that lack safe drinking water. Jimmy Carter has played a pivotal role in the fight against the disease through The Carter Center, the non-profit organization he founded in 1982 alongside his wife, Rosalynn.
Murphy was the cinematographer for Pilgrim Hill, for which writer-director Gerard Barrett won the IFTA Rising Star Award in 2013. Since then, Murphy has worked as cinematographer on international features such as Ghanoom the Billionaire, Ghost, and Kalek Shanab.
Nikki Stier Justice, Buffalo 8’s Head of Distribution, said of the acquisition: “We are incredibly proud to partner with Touchline and The Carter Center to bring this compelling and historically significant film to a global audience.”
