'Kony 2012' Sequel Documents Rise Of Viral Film [VIDEO]

By Howard Koplowitz | October 08 2012 6:14 PM

The charity behind the “Kony 2012” video that took the Internet by storm earlier this year is following the viral hit with a 30-minute documentary that details the video’s rise.

REUTERS/Reuters TV

One of the world's most wanted rebel chiefs, Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army, is seen in this image taken from Reuters TV in Nairobi May 24, 2006. Kony has called for an end to his 20-year war with the Ugandan government in the first images of him seen for years, taken in an unknown location in Southern Sudan during the meeting on April 11, 2006 between the delegations of Kony and the vice president of southern Sudan, Riek Machar, where they pledged to end fighting.

Sponsorship Link

Invisible Children, the nonprofit that made “Kony 2012,” which put the spotlight on Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army, released a follow-up video called “MOVE,” which you can view below.

“Kony 2012,” released in March, was perhaps the largest Internet success of the year, with the video generating 5 million tweets in the first month of appearing on the Web and 100 million YouTube views, according to this infographic from the Guardian.

“Kony 2012” went viral due in part to it being shared by some of the biggest celebrities on Twitter, including Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber and Rihanna.

The documentary opened the world’s eyes to Kony, an African warlord who forces children to fight for his Lord’s Resistance Army and abducts girls to be sex slaves. “Kony 2012” was made in an effort to find the African warlord.

In “MOVE,” Invisible Children gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look of how “Kony 2012” went viral.

Aside from news coverage of the campaign, the movie also has its dark moments, including recounting the meltdown suffered by Invisible Children co-founder and “Kony 2012” filmmaker Jason Russell.

In the days after “Kony 2012” went viral on March 15, Russell suffered a breakdown in which he ran through the streets of San Diego naked and smashed cars.

Ben Kesey, co-founder of Invisble Children, said the breakdown “gave people such an easy excuse not to have to deal with the reality of the LRA,” referring to questions about whether the charity and “Kony 2012” was a scam.

“MOVE” has garnered roughly 25,000 YouTube views since being posted Sunday. Comments on the video were restricted, although the page includes a link to donate to Invisible Children.