Rwanda and UK / 2010 / 90mins / Drama, Comedy / English

Africa United tells the extraordinary story of three Rwandan children and their bid to achieve their lifelong dream to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2010 Football World Cup in Johannesburg.

Debs Paterson

Debs Paterson was born in Taiwan and educated in India before studying for a degree, and gaining a reputation as a theatre director, at Cambridge University. Her first job after graduation was anchoring Total Football – about the English Premiership – on Singapore TV. On returning to England, Paterson began to forge ahead with her film career, working for the UK Film Council and assisting casting director Jeremy Zimmermann. Her career and her life were threatened by a serious car accident in 2003. During her recovery, she was told she may never be able to walk or speak in the same way again. In 2008, she directed the award-winning We Are All Rwandans, a short film shot in location and based on true events surrounding the Rwandan genocide. It brought her to the attention of the African producers of Africa United, an empowering, joyous film about the ability of children to overcome all obstacles, however threatening they may appear. Alongside her directing work, Debs recently collaborated with BAFTA to create ELEVATE - an initiative to highlight female directing talent in high end TV, and went to Hong Kong with BAFTA in 2018 for talent introductions to Chinese industry. She is Meisner-trained and holds a Cambridge MA in Literature. Learn More