General Butt Naked

During Liberia’s brutal civil war, General Butt Naked was notorious for leading his troops into battle. Completely naked, he claimed this made his child soldiers invincible. Born Joshua Milton Blahyi, his name became synonymous with terror. Fueled by drugs and violence, he boasted of ritual sacrifices, and claimed responsibility for over 20,000 deaths.

Then, the twist: Blahyi found Christianity. He now preaches redemption and asks for forgiveness. His mission? To save the very souls he once terrorized. But for anyone who knows his past, the contrast is jarring.

Filming him recounting the moment of his conversion was one of the most surreal experiences of my career. We stood with Blahyi, Pastor Kun, and Senegalese, his former bodyguard, at the exact spot where he claims this transformation took place. He described how Pastor Kun had walked right past his bodyguards, undetected, straight into the barracks at the height of the civil war. Blahyi wanted to kill him on the spot but found himself unable to move. In a fit of rage, he blasted Senegalese’s legs off for letting Kun through.

The Redemption of General Butt Naked is available here for rent. Winner of the 2011 Sundance Cinematography Award.