Abraham Attah in 'Beasts Of No Nation'
Update 10/16: Beasts of No Nation is officially streaming on Netflix.
On Friday, Beasts Of No Nation will officially debut in select U.S. theaters and on Netflix (simultaneously, so as not to disqualify the film for the Oscars). The film adaptation of Nigerian writer Uzodinma Iweala’s debut novel (which takes its name from a 1989 Fela Kuti record), Beasts tells the story of Agu (portrayed by 15-year-old Ghanaian newcomer Abraham Attah), a young boy torn from his family and forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters in the civil war of an unnamed West African country. Idris Elba plays the part of the brutal Commandant who recruits Agu as a child soldier. The film, which was shot last year in Ghana, is written and directed by Emmy Award-winning True Detective director Cary Fukunaga.
In addition to streaming on Netflix worldwide beginning on Friday, Beasts will open in 19 cities across the U.S., including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Indianapolis, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego.
Ahead of this weekend's release, Netflix has debuted a final trailer for Beasts. Watch below.