Kassim the Dream

Kassim “The Dream” Ouma is a former Junior Middleweight Champion of world boxing. With a big grin and cockiness to match Muhammad Ali's, Kassim's upbeat nature infects everyone around him. But every once in a while his face clouds over and he stares hard out a window. It's then that his Ugandan demons come back to haunt him. Kassim was born in Uganda, kidnapped by the rebel army from his school at six, and trained to be a soldier. Forced to kill or be killed, he was both a victim and a perpetrator. Soon he found the army's boxing team, throwing himself into it with desperation. After fighting in the bush for 12 years, he came with his team to the United States and defected. Alone and without a roof over his head, he started hanging around at the local boxing club in Virginia. The rest, as they say, is history. KASSIM THE DREAM, executive produced by Forest Whitaker, follows the champ as he preps for a big match in Vegas, then lobbies the Ugandan ambassador to be allowed to return home. When the champ finally arrives at his village and is overcome with emotion, Kassim delivers a sucker punch to your gut. (In English and Acholi with subtitles) – B.B.