Jason Russell American director Date of Birth: 12.10.1978 Country: USA

Biography of Jason Russell

Jason Russell, an American actor, director, choreographer, and co-founder of the charitable organization 'Invisible Children, Inc', was born on October 12, 1978, in El Cajon, California, United States. Coming from a Christian family, Russell developed a passion for acting at a young age. By the age of 13, he gave his first interview, stating, "It's just my life. It's what people around me were doing, and I never thought about any other career. I first performed at the age of 8 and have been in 20 productions since then. It's impossible to do it without love and interest – you have to dedicate yourself fully to the performance."

After completing theater school, Russell aimed to not only act in films but also create his own works. However, a trip to Africa in the early 2000s with two friends completely changed his life. Aware of the prevalent poverty, they expected to encounter starving and weak people. Instead, they were confronted with a reality worse than their worst nightmares. Not only were the countries devastated, with all the money going to generals and officials, but the wars involved not men, but boys whose ages rarely exceeded 12 to 14 years. In Uganda, Russell personally met several boys who had lost their families in the war and were forced to join Joseph Kony's army.

Upon returning to America, Russell and his friends established the organization 'Invisible Children, Inc', which provided financial support to children affected by war. Collaborating actively with the press and the government, the organization quickly gained momentum and attracted not only young volunteers worldwide but also pop and rock stars, actors, directors, and even politicians. In 2005, Russell revisited Africa and filmed the documentary 'Invisible Children: Rough Cut', which won the 'Pioneering Spirit Award' at the Heartland Film Festival in 2007. The film was also screened in the U.S. Congress and became a key factor in discussing the situation in Uganda during a separate session with human rights experts.

Russell's most notable work, 'KONY 2012', overshadowed all his previous attempts to draw public attention to the problems facing African children. The video, which resulted from the collaboration between Russell, his film crew, and thousands of volunteers worldwide, aimed to make as many people as possible aware of the name of the modern-day criminal, Joseph Kony. Although the ultimate goal of capturing Kony by the end of the year was not achieved, the campaign was deemed successful. However, the official representatives of the rebel group claimed that the video was a "cheap trick for people who have no idea about what is really happening in Central Africa."

After the initial hype surrounding the video subsided, the second part of the film, 'Kony 2012: Part II – Beyond Famous', was released. Russell continues his work in the organization, confident that the 98 million views the video received will not be forgotten by Americans. While Joseph Kony remains at large, Russell promises to fight and be involved in the lives of any child whose happy childhood has been disrupted by the actions of the "world's most wanted criminal."