Few men in history have fought so hard and endured so much in the course of a lifetime as Nelson Mandela. His story is one of struggle and oppression, dignity and hope over despair, self-discipline and respect over persecution and hate. This dramatic story never told before on film -- about a man who came from tribal origins, fled his home to avoid an arranged marriage, was alone and broke at 23, trained as a boxer, and established the first black law firm in South Africa. From its inception in 1993, the film was to be the only official film biography of Nelson Mandela. Having sanctioned the project, Mandela himself granted unprecedented and exclusive access to the cameras.