Decades after becoming an internet sensation, Ghyslain Raza breaks his silence
In April 2003, a video of lightsaber-wielding teenager Ghyslain Raza arrived online and became a worldwide sensation, eventually earning more than a billion views. Widely perceived as a misguided Star Wars fanatic hungry for attention, Raza only had a casual interest in the franchise, and the original tape was a camera test for a school project he never intended to show anyone. Shared without his consent, the video went on to saturate mainstream culture, but rather than benefit from this attention, Raza was ridiculed, hounded by the press, and bullied by his classmates, ultimately forcing him to withdraw from school and all aspects of public life.
In Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows, Raza breaks his silence, revealing how this internet phenomenon became a harrowing personal ordeal – and the path he took to restore his self-esteem and find a sense of purpose as an adult. Fleshing out Raza and his experience, director Mathieu Fournier brings new depth to a story that went global without going deep and even brings Raza into contact with the blogger who turned him into a meme. It’s a potent look at high-tech harassment and disturbing new threats emerging online today.
directed by: Mathieu Fournier
starring: Ghyslain Raza, Andy Baio, Jean-Michel Berthiaume, Christian Bouchard, Amanda Brennan, Nina Duque, Kate Eichhorn, Katharina Niemeyer, Jonathan Trudel
2022 / 80 min / 1.78:1 / English, French DTS-HD MA 5.1
Additional info:
Region A Blu-ray
New audio commentary featuring Fournier, producer Pierre-Mathieu Fortin, and subject Ghyslain Raza
New audio commentary featuring Patrick Cotnoir of The George Lucas Talk Show and Star Wars Insider‘s Brandon Wainerdi
New interview with Fournier
Ghyslain Raza Q&A
Extended interview with professor Nina Duque
Star Wars Kid trailer and teasers
Double-sided poster
Reversible cover artwork
English SDH subtitles