Ayik Chut

Born in the war-torn African nation of South Sudan, Ayik Chut Deng, known as AYIK CHUT, now lives in Brisbane, Australia. As a youth in his tribal village he dreamed of becoming a traditional singer, a wrestler or breeding cattle, but war changed everything for Ayik when he was conscripted as a child soldier at the tender age of 13. He went on to fight in South Sudan's brutal civil war for five years before an older sister finally tracked him down, rescued him from the conflict and brought him first to a refugee camp in Kenya and later on to Australia. Ayik still vividly recalls how his passion for movies was kindled by the first film he ever watched, together with his comrades deep in the African jungle - Commando (1985) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was only years later he came to realise that the events it depicted were fictional, but today Ayik holds an Advanced Diploma of Screen and Stage Acting from the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory. His first acting role was on the Australian television series Safe Harbour and Harrow in 2018, and he has since acted in many Australian short and feature films, and worked as an extra on multiple Hollywood movies. His first appearance in a leading role was on a reality documentary series on Australian TV channel SBS called Look Me In The Eye. Here, the producers brought him face to face with his former torturer, a man who ran the infamous child soldiers' military prison in the Ethiopian military training base for Rebel Forces. Most recently Ayik has acted in SPIT, a sequel to Australian hit film Gettin' Square, and The Bluff, directed by Frank E. Flowers, both due for release in 2025. Ayik has also written a book about his early life, The Lost Boy Tales of a Child Soldier, and in between pursuing his acting dreams he serves as a youth worker.