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Funding Guide For

Seeds of
a Nation

A Documentary by Catherine Kyung-Eun Lee

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At Once an Intimate Family Portrait
and a Global Political Drama

Filmed through the lens of a close friend, Seeds of a Nation follows Peter Ajak — former child soldier, Harvard graduate, and democracy activist in the world's youngest country, South Sudan — through nearly a decade of personal and political upheaval.

We witness Peter transform from a peace activist to an armed coup plotter, landing him in a federal Arizona prison. His wife Nyathon grapples with finding her voice in a struggle she did not choose, while their four children grow up carrying both their father's conviction and its consequences.

To learn more about the story, visit SeedsofaNationFilm.com

Password to enter: changemaker

Peter Ajak and family
Why This Story, Why Now

The Film's Urgent and Universal Themes That You Can Help Support

Theme 01

Is Violent Revolution Ever Justified?

As political regimes around the world face democratic backsliding and citizens grapple with how to respond, the film portrays an idealist and raises timely questions about approaches to political change, the cost of pursuing a cause, and how global geopolitics further complicate local dynamics.

74% of the world's population now lives under autocratic rule V-Dem Democracy Report 2026
Theme 02

Intergenerational Cycles of Trauma, Legacy, and Identity

The film explores Peter's inherited trauma as well as the one he is imparting on his own children. We examine how war, identity, responsibility, and choice reverberate across generations – and whether such cycles can be broken.

Theme 03

A Portrait of South Sudan and Africa Beyond Headlines

The film challenges simplistic narratives about Africa and offers a deeply human entry point into the world's youngest country. It is Africa as lived from within, filmed over years with embedded and intimate access – neither generalized nor simplified. The film invites viewers around the world not to look away… and to recognize themselves in the main characters' lives and choices.

Theme 04

Prison and its toll

By capturing Peter's imprisonment in both South Sudan and the United States, the film explores the human costs of incarceration on the individual as well as the family.

Theme 05

A Story of Exile in an Era of Rising Anti-Immigration Sentiment

Peter Ajak was a refugee twice: once as a Lost Boy, and later as a political refugee. At a time when migration is strongly politicized around the world, the film illustrates the difficult journey of seeking asylum, the experience of displacement, and migrants' journey of integration into a new society , and what new beginnings this journey might present for the new generation.

Theme 06

The Invisible Strength of Women

By capturing the perspective of Peter's wife, Nyathon, and her experiences in real time, the film highlights the resilience of wives and mothers and the transformation they experience as they hold their families together amid separation, uncertainty, and life-or-death decisions.

Target Audience

Our Film's Character-Driven Story Will Resonate Across Audiences

The Documentary Audience That Made Navalny and For Sama Cultural Moments

Seeds of a Nation is a documentary film with a story that is more complex, intimate, and morally challenging than most. The global documentary community has shown it will turn out in enormous numbers for character-driven films about democracy and political courage.

Anyone Who Has Ever Been a Father or a Mother, or Needed One

Seeds of a Nation is also for every parent who has ever wondered how much they owe their children versus how much they owe the world. Every parent who has quietly held a household together, often without recognition. Every child who grew up with an absent parent and learned to carry that absence silently.

For Those Concerned About Democracy

Seeds of a Nation is a brutal look at the sacrifices and the moral complexity that accompany political advocacy when rights, justice, and rule of law are absent. Rather than providing easy answers, the film invites audiences to wrestle with difficult questions about freedom, resistance, and the costs of a calling.

250M+ Viewers of African Films in 2025
(Source: Showcase Africa ONLINE)
100M Views of Navalny, 2023 Oscar winner
2.4M+ South Sudanese diaspora living in neighboring nations, North America, and Europe (UNHCR and other sources)
54K+ Followers of Peter Ajak on Social Media

Seeds of a Nation is committed to building a distribution pathway that can carry the film to audiences in every corner of the world. We are in conversation with streamers, broadcasters, and media platforms who are awaiting our rough cut.

Project Timeline

We Are at a Critical Moment: Transforming a Decade of Filming into a Feature-Length Documentary

Production Phase (2017 – 2026)

A Decade of Real-Time Filming

Over nine years, we followed Peter and his family across South Sudan, Kenya, and the United States and amassed more than 600 hours of exclusive footage as real-time events unfolded.

Filming on location
Post-Production Phase (Present – 2028)

Transforming 600+ Hours of Footage
into a 90-Minute Documentary

TARGET RELEASE January 2028
Aim: Sundance premiere preceding Peter's expected
release in early 2028
We are currently:
  • Working with PIXEL, post-production partner to Oscar-nominated Bardo, to prepare raw footage for the editing phase
  • Shortlisting Oscar-nominated and other acclaimed editors who have taken an interest in this project
  • Recruiting executive producers & other financiers
Post-production suite
Swipe to see the full timeline →
2017
Filming started
We Are Here
Summer 2026
Jan. 2027
20-hour assembly
May 2027
Rough cut of 90-minute film
Sept. 2027
Final cut of 90-minute film
Jan. 2028
Film ready to release and impact campaign launch
Funding To-Date

A US$1.2M film, so far built through personal commitment and bootstrapping

As the story's events have continued to unfold in real time, and as funding for independent documentary has dwindled in the U.S., the directors have sustained Seeds of a Nation for nearly a decade through deferred fees, small grants, and significant personal investment.

Invested To Date
US$128K Deferred Fees Recoupable
US$114K Personal Investment Recoupable
US$100K Cash & In-Kind Grants Non-recoupable
Film's budget: US$1.154M through completion
US$100K Non-recoupable funds raised to date
US$242K Recoupable funds raised to date
US$812K Funds to be raised for film completion (assuming no major unforeseen events)
Funding Goals

We Are Raising US$812K to Fund the Post-Production Phase and Complete the Film

What could your funding unlock? Here are some examples
US$515KPriority funding needed
★
$185,000

Transform 600+ hours of footage into 20 hours of editable assembly, with potentially additional footage

★
$240,000

Partner with an Academy Award-nominated editor along with top-tier editing team and facilities

★
$30,000

Pioneer the use of AI to revolutionize how previously manual tasks are achieved

★
$60,000

Translate multiple South Sudanese languages (10-15% of raw footage) for the edit and eventual consumption by audience

Additional activities needed (non exhaustive)

Obtain and license archival materials in order to connect the characters' stories to the historical context

Produce cinematic animations to enrich the footage by bringing unseen memories and unfilmable moments, such as Peter's time in jail, to life

Compose an original music score, including collaboration with South Sudanese artists

Critical delivery infrastructure: legal, financial, administrative, and contingency support to ensure the film can be completed, protected, delivered, and released globally

★Immediate Funding Priority
Benefits to our financial partners

Join the Inner Circle: Funding Tiers & Benefits

Benefits (more to come)
US$60K+
US$45K–59K
US$15K–44K
US$5K–15K
Credit
✓Executive Producer
✓Co-Executive Producer
✓Contributing Producer
✓Acknowledgment
Invitations to the film’s premieres, award ceremonies, and media coverage
✓
—
—
—
Signed & personalized thank-you from A-list actor or director (soon to be confirmed)
✓
—
—
—
Option to co-design Seeds of a Nation's impact campaign, including selecting NGOs to feature and ally with
✓
✓
—
—
Private pre-release screening & filmmaker Q&A
✓In-person in several major cities
✓In-person in several major cities
✓In-person in several major cities
✓Online
Invitation to private events with directors
✓
✓
✓
—
Invitation to private event with Peter Ajak, Nyathon, and/or their children
✓Executive Producer Private Dinner
✓Invite-Only Zoom Conversation
✓Invite-Only Zoom Conversation
—
Seeds of a Nation poster signed by filmmaking team
✓
✓
✓
✓
South Sudanese handmade gift of choice
✓
✓
✓
✓
The Core Team

A Team With the Passion and Diverse Experiences to Bring This Story to the World

Catherine Kyung-Eun Lee
Director / Producer

Compelled by the stories of those who pursue great change at great cost, Catherine was named a “40 Under 40” documentary filmmaker to watch by DOC NYC and HBO. Born to parents who protested dictatorship in pre-democratic South Korea, she received scholarships to study at Yale and Harvard where she dedicated her learning to global injustices. Her directorial debut 9at38 was nominated for Best Short Documentary at Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by The Atlantic. In 2024, Catherine was named Harvard Kennedy School’s “Emerging Global Leader.”

We honor our colleague and friend, Mercy Adundo, a beloved Kenyan producer and editor who suddenly left this world at age 38. She made immense contributions to this film.

Become Part of the Final Chapter

After a decade of filming, your partnership will help carry Seeds of a Nation through post-production and bring this story to the world.

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation Here ›

Via Harvardwood, the fiscal sponsor of Seeds of a Nation

Prefer to invest, or have any questions? Let’s talk! seedsofanationfilm@gmail.com
A joyful moment with the children connected to this story