Pushing the Elephant chronicles the story of Rose Mapendo and how she escaped from the violence of the Democratic Republic of Congo to become a vital voice to help mend her divided country. She has assisted dozens of survivors to recover and rebuild their lives. But there is still one person Rose must teach to forgive - her daughter Nangabire. When war came to Rose's village, she was separated from her five-year-old daughter, Nangabire. She escaped with nine of her ten children and was resettled in Phoenix, Arizona. Over a decade later, mother and daughter are reunited in the US where they face the past and build a new future. We follow Rose and Nangabire over the course of two years as they make up for lost time. Rose struggles to find balance in her life as a mother of ten and a full-time advocate for refugees. Meanwhile, Nangabire, now 17, attempts to adapt to teenage life in Phoenix. She tries to accept Rose's message of reconciliation, but feels she has traded in one complicated life for another. This intimate family story brings to life the horrors that continue to be endured in Congo, the importance of international involvement, and the ways in which individual acts can make enormous contributions. The film will capture one of the most important stories of our age, in which genocidal violence is challenged by the moral fortitude and grace of one woman's mission for peace.
