Grey Matter

The first feature-length film directed by a Rwandan filmmaker living in his homeland, GREY MATTER is a complex narrative that blends reality and fantasy as it follows the manifestation of young filmmaker Balthazar's first fictional film, “The Cycle of the Cockroach.” With funding denied by his government, devoted Balthazar sets out to make his movie unaided, determined to create a piece of art that honestly captures the psychological repercussions of Rwandan genocide. Ultimately, the self-referential GREY MATTER becomes a film-within-a-film as Balthazar's script comes to life before our eyes. Two parts of “The Cycle” play out, detailing the aftermath of both a man driven insane by the carnage he committed during the war and the horrific experiences of a brother and sister whose parents were victims of the genocide. Courageously discerning and innovative, this film portrays new insight into the monumental effects of the political violence found in the Rwandan Civil War. (In Kinyarwanda and French with subtitles) – M.M.