A new documentary about a dastardly worm and a heroic effort by Jimmy Carter

In 2007, President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, said to children successful Ghana astir nan extremity of eradicating guinea worm disease. When this photograph was taken, he had said "Hands up each those who person had guinea worm" — and galore of nan children raised their hands. Louise Gubb/for nan Carter Center hide caption

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Louise Gubb/for nan Carter Center

The villain of this caller documentary is simply a worm — but not conscionable immoderate worm.

"We person known monsters, each kinds of monsters," Waleed Eltayeb declares. "Then there's nan dragon, this fiery serpent, this terror, this ill, this parasite, this worm."

He's talking astir Guinea worm, which shares nan title billing successful nan caller movie The President and nan Dragon, premiering connected Amazon Prime Video today, Oct. 1, which would person been nan 101st day of "the President" — Jimmy Carter.

After leaving office, Carter's erstwhile supplier czar Dr. Peter Bourne told him astir nan devastating effects of Guinea worm. Funding was difficult to travel by, truthful nan erstwhile president made it his life's ngo to destruct nan disease.

Guinea worm illness is caused erstwhile nan worm itself is spread through contaminated h2o and undercooked fish. Once successful nan stomach, nan larvae penetrate nan intestinal wall and migrate to nan skin. The big female worm — which can turn up to 3 feet successful magnitude — commonly goes to nan little limbs, wherever it causes achy blisters. That symptom can cause impermanent aliases imperishable impairment, disrupting regular life.

A diligent pinch a guinea worm emerging. Louise Gubb/Corbis/via Getty Images hide caption

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Louise Gubb/Corbis/via Getty Images

To relieve nan burning pain, group plunge nan affected limb successful streams aliases ponds, triggering nan merchandise of thousands of larvae and contaminating nan h2o source. When a personification drinks from that source, nan rhythm repeats.

When Carter first decided to travel face-to-face pinch nan ancient parasite successful 1986, nan World Health Organization estimated 3.5 cardinal cases of nan parasitic infection successful Asia and Africa. Thirty-eight years later — astatine nan clip of his decease successful 2024 — nan precocious president's Guinea worm eradication programme counted a specified 14 cases. The World Health Organization uses this information successful its Guinea worm reporting.

While eradication is remarkably close, nan Carter Center says they haven't achieved an extremity to Guinea worm disease. As of Sept. 18, nan group reported 4 instances of nan illness arsenic a provisional count.

Those numbers are only portion of nan story, Eltayeb says. The documentary, directed by him and Ian D. Murphy, chronicles nan precocious president's conflict to destruct Guinea worm illness — and nan individuals who led nan fight. It besides weaves successful nan communicative of really Carter played a domiciled successful ending nan civilian wars betwixt northbound and southbound Sudan, Eltayeb's homeland and 1 of nan countries afflicted by Guinea worm.

Waleed Eltayeb, who's from Sudan, wrote and co-directed nan caller documentary The President and nan Dragon, astir Jimmy Carter's efforts to swipe our nan scourge of guinea worm. Touchline hide caption

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NPR interviewed nan 50-year-old director, who besides wrote and produced nan film. Eltayeb now lives successful Dubai but traveled pinch nan unit to Africa for nan film. This speech has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Your engagement pinch nan movie began pinch an exploration of nan eradication effort successful Sudan. But you recovered a deeper communicative to tell.

For me, this movie is fundamentally astir 1 of nan astir important things that we arsenic quality beings cannot do without, and that's hope. It showcases very intelligibly nan powerfulness of america erstwhile we travel together. When we determine that we want to put differences speech and attraction connected doing things that are for our corporate bully and for nan betterment of humanity. There is thing that we can't achieve. I loved that thought astir nan film.

Now much than ever, pinch everything other that is fundamentally going connected correct now, I deliberation we each tin do pinch immoderate dream and thing to animate america and show america we tin execute awesome things if we tin conscionable put our differences aside.

I recovered it fascinating that nan eradication effort was centered connected cleanable h2o and acquisition — not vaccines aliases medication. Why did this communicative captivate you and your colleagues?

You person a communicative of a formidable force — a very conniving and manipulative monster that has fundamentally existed for millennia — calved retired of poorness and perpetuating poorness amongst people.

The conception that we arsenic a type were astir to scope nan milestone of eradicating thing for illustration Guinea worm utilizing thing but acquisition and chat arsenic a shape of involution — nary vaccines, nary nonstop medicine aliases pills to swallow — I thought that we were portion of a awesome milestone and accomplishment for humanity. I felt for illustration this was a communicative that needed to beryllium told.

There's this thunderous hit astatine nan commencement of nan film's soundtrack. Where does nan sound travel from? 

It was based connected a portion of spoken connection that I did for nan Guinea Worm Summit. For that circumstantial event, we wanted to do thing that galvanized everybody down nan nonsubjective and nan extremity of eradicating Guinea worm.

I wrote this portion called "Just 13," and nan first thumps that you perceive were utilized to say, "We are 13 cases distant from eradication." The thought was to fundamentally create this consciousness of urgency and to almost nexus it to our corporate heartbeat and excitement to effort to eliminate nan remaining 13 cases arsenic quickly arsenic possible.

Throughout nan film, I felt incredibly connected to nan characters, for illustration Makoy Samuel Yibi. How did you execute that cinematic effect?

One of my cardinal visions for nan movie is that I wanted this consciousness of group looking straight into nan camera. Almost arsenic if they're staring into your eyes, and you're staring into their eyes to fto you cognize really this illness is affecting different quality beings.

Another important facet is nan South Sudanese tribes that were filmed look for illustration kings and queens successful their colors and successful their beads. They conscionable look for illustration ancient African warriors. There was specified a grade of dignity successful position of their beingness successful nan measurement that they stood.

Jimmy Carter is nan titular leader of nan movie but you didn't conscionable attraction connected his involvement.

The occurrence of this eradication programme does not hap without nan group connected nan ground. It does not hap without nan volunteers. It does not hap without nan section doctors. It does not hap without partnership.

I didn't want to coming this thought of a achromatic man who has fundamentally travel to prevention nan indigenous group of Africa. For me, it was really, really important that it never, ever looked for illustration that aliases came crossed for illustration that.

We weren't making a movie astir President Carter. There are capable awesome documentaries covering nan afloat bequest of President Carter. This was very clearly, from nan beginning, astir nan Guinea worm eradication programme and everybody who played a domiciled successful that.

You see a quote of Carter saying, "I would for illustration to spot Guinea worm wholly eradicated earlier I die." That didn't happen. Why did you take to see that quote from him?

Because he refused to put this rumor aside. He was highly stubborn and driven astir this issue.

Even erstwhile he went into hospice care, he kept connected asking astir nan Guinea worm numbers. Even astatine that constituent erstwhile your life is slipping distant from you and you are frail, his interest was not for himself. His interest was for nan Guinea worm program.

Can you show maine astir your upbringing successful Sudan, and really it impacted nan measurement you told nan story?

I knew astir Guinea worm, but I really didn't genuinely understand what it was. I didn't cognize overmuch astir Guinea worm, but I knew a batch astir nan conflict successful Sudan.

It's a conflict that's been raging for complete 50 years, and arsenic pinch each of these conflicts that are happening, it is conscionable wholly driven by greed. I was alert of nan nonaccomplishment connected some sides. I was alert of nan symptom connected some sides, truthful this was thing that I felt for illustration had to beryllium a cardinal facet of nan film.

Can you show america astir a communicative from nan movie that stuck pinch you?

We characteristic Garang Buk Buk Piol, who speaks astir carrying an AK-47 erstwhile he was 12 years old. He was a kid worker learning really to termination and bulldoze and slay different quality being astatine that age. He was carrying an AK-47 that was taller than he was.

That kid turned into a Guinea worm warrior, now turned into a philanthropist and an activistic amongst his people, who is school underprivileged communities successful South Sudan and building schools. These programs are fighting disease, waging bid and building hope. Look astatine nan stories down nan numbers, and past you genuinely statesman to spot nan effect of these wellness programs.

Sudan is still successful conflict and different parts of nan world are, too. What connection do you dream viewers return distant from nan film? 

It's very difficult not to beryllium pessimistic. What's going connected successful Gaza, I think, is simply a stain connected our humanity. I dream group tin spot nan tone of dream that exists successful this film. That they tin spot nan truth that group tin put speech differences and activity for nan greater and corporate bully of humanity.