The Star Wars Kid

As a fourteen-year-old boy, Ghyslain Raza’s world was turned upside down when he found himself at the centre of the first viral phenomenon of the digital age. Twenty years after his schoolmates uploaded a video without his knowledge, the ‘Star Wars Kid’ breaks his silence in an attempt to make peace with his digital shadow. In reflecting on his story for the first time, Raza thoughtfully explores our collective experience living in an online world in which questions of consent, consequences and the right to be forgotten still swirl uneasily.

Ghyslain’s openness, and his ability to develop ties with so many different people, revealed to me the importance of personal encounters. That became the most important aspect to put forward. The human connection, the encounters with others, became much more critical than trying to teach some kind of lesson. The same goes for the decision to not show the perpetrators. This documentary revolves around a man who rebuilt his life, took control of his story, and wants to help others. That’s where it becomes a shining light, and gets us away from a conversation about pity.

Director Mathieu Fournier