Kony 2012: Sequel to viral charity film receives its online premiere

THE sequel to the film that turned African warlord Joseph Kony into a household name, boosting the international hunt for the rebel leader, has been unveiled.

Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 Part II repeats some of the same slick, inspiring shots as the original of a young global community mobilizing into action.

But noticeably missing is the voice of the organization’s co-founder, Jason Russell, who directed the first video. Russell was diagnosed with brief psychosis last month after witnesses saw him pacing naked on a sidewalk in a San Diego neighborhood, screaming incoherently and banging his fists on the pavement. His outburst happened shortly after Kony 2012 thrust the group into the global limelight.

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The sequel also lacks the kind of narrative that made the original unique. The first Kony 2012 presented the global issue through a child’s eyes, with a discussion between Russell, who directed the video, and his young son Gavin about stopping the bad guys.

The latest video is a traditional documentary that addresses criticisms fired at the San Diego-based nonprofit since its overnight launch to fame.

Among the complaints were that Kony 2012 was too American-centric, that the group spends too little money directly on the people it intends to help, and that it oversimplified the 26-year-old conflict involving Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army.

The original video drew some 100 million hits on YouTube.

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