When Chrobog met the musician Emmanuel Jal in 2005, he had found the story for his first documentary: Born in South Sudan, Jal was only seven years old when his mother died and he became a child soldier in Sudan's civil war. In 1991 he deserted - together with 400 other children. Only twelve of them survived. Jal was later adopted by a woman working for the children's relief organization "Street Kids". His new mother, who was married to a rebel leader, smuggled the boy to Kenya, where he attended school in Nairobi. In 1993 his adopted mother died in a car crash; friends helped him to continue his schooling.

In 2005 he scored a number 1 hit in Kenya with "Gua". His songs are about the civil war in Sudan and are an appeal for peace and tolerance. Jal: "Words can make people kill one another. Or forgive each other." Today Jal is an international star and the spokesperson for "Stop the Use of Child Soldiers". In addition, he is an ambassador for the development aid organization Oxfam. He currently lives in London.War Child had its world premiere at the Berlinale in 2008 and was shown at numerous international festivals. The film received, among other prizes, the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival 2008 in New York and the Award for Best Documentary at the international film festivals in Bologna and Bergen.

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