About This Film
Festival Year: 2013
Run Time: 40 Minutes
Film Type: Short
Animated: No
Countr(ies): USA
Language: Arabic, English, Kinyarwanda
English Subtitles: No
Captions: None
Film Overview
Eight Rwandan children leave their families behind to embark on a life-or-death journey seeking high-risk heart surgery in Sudan. Their hearts ravaged by a treatable disease from childhood strep throat, they have only months left to live. Open Heart reveals the intertwined endeavors of Dr. Emmanuel, Rwanda's lone government cardiologist fighting to save the lives of his young patients, and Italian Dr. Gino Strada, the Salam Center's head surgeon, who must convince Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir to keep Africa's only link to life-saving cardiac surgery free of charge to the millions who need it.