It has been seen by millions on the Internet.<br /><br />But a video purportedly showing a young Syrian boy risking his life to save a terrified girl from gunfire is in fact a fake.<br /><br />Although the heart-rending images on the ‘Syrian hero boy’ film misled so many on YouTube, the Norwegian director behind the video is unrepentant.<br /><br />Lars Klevberg said he wanted to shed light on the horrors facing children caught up in war, stressing that the boy’s rescue of the girl, braving a hail of bullets, signals hope.<br /><br />“I will always be a voice for children,” he said.<br /><br />The Norwegian Film Institute helped fund the video, according to the production team who say it was shot in Malta, on a set previously used for blockbusters like ‘Gladiator’.<br /><br />Professional child actors were used, they have revealed, saying the voices heard in the background are those of Syrian refugees living on the island.<br /><br />Those involved in the film hope it will continue to raise awareness of the plight of some of the youngest victims of war.
