Kinyarwanda

Year: 2011
Country: USA, RWANDA
Run Time: 100 minutes

Love and hate, vengeance and forgiveness, life and death. A window into the soul of war-torn Rwanda, KINYARWANDA is a stirring film inspired by true stories of the mass genocide that took place there for nearly 100 days during 1994. A fabric of interconnected stories is woven together to share the chilling experiences of Rwandan civilians, refugees, soldiers, and murderers. The film opens with the story of Jeanne, a "half cockroach," or daughter of a Tutsi woman and Hutu man, who is orphaned when she finds her parents brutally murdered in their own home. Next, we literally stare into the face of death as we witness testimonies of former militia and murderers who are attempting to repent their sins and gain forgiveness from their victims. The film also follows the story of various Christian and Muslim religious leaders who open their churches and mosques to Tutsi and Hutu refugees who are unwilling to fight and desperate to survive. In a civil war where nearly one million men, women, and children were sacrificed, faith was lost and beliefs were frequently questioned. Yet KINYARWANDA proves that Rwanda is a nation not without humanity. (In Kinyarwanda and English with subtitles) – M.M.

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