“What kind of world is this that can send machines to Mars and does nothing to stop the killing of a human being?” (Jose Saramago).
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” (Albert Einstein)
This year marks 30 years since the Rwandan genocide, whereby some 500.000-800.000 people lost their lives, with the perpetrators being armed Hutu militias, slaughtering, torturing and raping the Tutsi people for some 100 days. The international community essentially failed to prevent and stop the atrocity. This is a truly dark spot for the humanity in history, and there are films that try to ensure that the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda is never forgotten. Below are five notable feature films that include the context of the genocide (for documentaries, for example, see Earth Made of Glass (2010) or excellent reportage by Steve Bradshaw – Rwanda: When Good Men Do Nothing).
I. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Certainly the most famous feature film made about the Rwandan genocide, Hotel Rwanda is based on real events and focuses on one hotel manager’s efforts to shelter his family and a thousand persecuted refugees in his besieged Hôtel des Mille Collines. That man’s name was Paul Rusesabagina and he is played by the excellent Don Cheadle. This is a sobering film about the genocide which is at its best when Cheadle commands the screen.
II. Shooting Dogs (2005)
This is another film made at the time of the 10th anniversary of the genocide. Starring John Hurt, Hugh Dancy and Clare-Hope Ashitey, the film portrays the experience of the film’s producer David Belton who worked in Rwanda during the genocide. Hurt is in the role of a Catholic priest, while Dancy is an English teacher caught up in the genocide. The film was shot on the original location of the genocide, and employed many people who were actually involved in the horrific events at that time. It is a tense, character-driven film that pulsates with its on peculiar energy.
III. Sometimes in April (2005)
This film is about Augustin Muganza, a Hutu who struggles to come to terms with the murder of some one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 100 days. The plot divides between genocide in 1994, and April 2004, when Augustin’s brother, Honoré Butera stands trial for his involvement. It is one brutally-unflinching film by Raoul Peck which also showcases a performance by Idris Elba.
IV. Shake Hands with a Devil (2007)
Shake Hands with a Devil is based on the book of the same name that describes Canadian Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire’s experience of being the Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda in 1993 and 1994. He repeatedly asked for help as the situation in the country deteriorated but received no assistance. He also refused an order to vacate his post as atrocities continued. The film is partly based on his book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda (2003) where Dallaire also describes the guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the tragedy.
V. 100 Days (2001)
Next is the very first feature film that was about the events that took place during the Rwandan genocide. It tells the story of a young Tutsi refugee girl and her goal of finding a safe place in the area populated by the ruthless regime. Although some of the acting here is rather forced, the great thing about this first film directed by Nick Hughes is that it was shot almost entirely on the actual locations where the genocide occurred and marks an important milestone in films about the Rwandan genocide; see also my list of “films about human rights” here.
Spotlight on Film 
Whew, what a tough subject to make a film about, but it’s gotta be done so people won’t forget the atrocities done to others. It’s very important we don’t forget.
Alos, I’ve nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award
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Thank you!
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The only movie I’ve seen on this list is Hotel Rwanda. It’s sad how the genocide happened and I didn’t know about that event until years after the fact. We must never forget that. I’m glad the country drastically improved after the fact and Kigali is one of the cleanest and safest cities in the world. However, some of the accents in Hotel Rwanda were inauthentic and some historical liberties were there. One honorable mention of that subject even if it would’ve been after the fact would be the Rwandan movie Munyurangabo which involves a survivor of the genocide trying to avenge his father.
Besides that, I’ve listened to some music In Kinyarwanda which has been fascinating and learned some words are similar to Swahili which I’m currently learning.
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I am aware of criticisms directed at Hotel Rwanda, still it wasn’t as bad it could have been. Thanks for bringing my attention to Munyurangabo and I see it gathered a number of awards. I was kind of ignoring the work of Lee Isaac Chung up to this point, but I should get a closer look. I have to say that’s kind of a drastic jump from Munyurangabo to sci-fi Twisters for this director. That’s impressive that you are learning Swahili. Is it a difficult language? I see that it follows a noun-class system, not that I know what it may entail, but sounds tricky? The only language that I have been actively studying these past three years is Japanese. It has been a nightmare for me, very tough (and English isn’t even my native). And, I am sorry for this very late reply.
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Sure thing, and I figured you would be aware of some of those things. I don’t think it’s a terrible film, but it could’ve been better in some ways. Sadly, some people in America think Rwanda still looks like when it did in the movie or at least in the early 90s when those horrific things happened. No problem, and I didn’t know he eventually directed Twisters! I would’ve never guessed that even if I watched it years ago.
Swahili has been difficult with the grammar system which is nothing like English and Japanese. It was fun using that language when I made my list about problematic tropes about Africa in movies, but I still have to get used to speaking it. Some words like safari, Kwanzaa, and even Jenga come from that language! Swahili even has English loanwords like chipsi (French fries/chips), daktari (doctor), and filamu (film/movie). However, I’m understanding it more often and even picking up examples of other African languages that have some similar words in the Niger-Congo language branch like when I was listening to some Comorian music today. Asante sana, Diana! (Thank you very much, Diana!).
That’s awesome how you’re learning Japanese because I’m re-learning that language. Speaking I don’t think it is too bad, but I struggled with reading it and trying to memorize Kanji outside of numbers. What was your mother tongue outside of English again?
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“Asante sana” – I love the sound of it! You did pique my interest with Swahili. I don’t know maybe I wake up tomorrow and would want to study it too…I understand your struggles with Japanese kanji, it is unreal how many there are to remember, but I do struggle with speaking more than reading because I still can’t produce sentences freely with the object coming first and the verb at the end. It is still not natural to me. My native is Russian, but I hardly ever use it any more in daily life, though it comes in handy when I decide to re-watch Tarkovsky films! 🙂
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Karibu, rafiki yangu mwanablogu! (You’re welcome, my blogger friend!)
Rafiki literally means “friend” in Swahili, in case you’re wondering and I wasn’t comparing you to a certain baboon even if he said “Asante sana” in that movie while mixing it with gibberish and “squashed banana”. If we’re talking Kinyarwanda which is the majority language in Rwanda, then I would have said “Murakoze cyane!”. Swahili is only a minority language in that country, but they do offer classes in school or occasionally use it as a lingua franca if they talk to Kenyans, Tanzanians, Swahili-phone Congolese, and Ugandans for example. Both are beautiful languages and it was fascinating listening to music in Swahili and Kinyarwanda. It has been fascinating learning this and one of the main reasons was because I found out in 2018 that I have Congolese ancestry via my mom’s side of the family when I took a DNA test. I even hired a Swahili and Japanese tutor which has been super helpful because Duolingo can only do so much. Haha!
Absolutely with Kanji because of how many symbols there are to memorize. You can study this for years with over a thousand symbols. Even people in Japan sometimes need hiragana subtitles on certain Kanji to pronounce things or knowing what word was written in books, manga, news articles, etc. Just keep practicing with sentences and writing. It’s awesome to know someone else is learning Japanese. I first learned it when I was in high school and got pretty fluent when I was 18, but I’m re-learning it now.
That’s right, and now I remember you mentioning Russia and the language with conversations we had with old Soviet-era films and combating ethnic stereotypes like how you never understood why Hollywood movies showed Russians or other Slavic characters as either super-serious types or straight-up evil people. I’m sure it comes in handy when you watch films in that language though! I was curious how much you would’ve used your native tongue in different situations.
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I am so impressed and inspired by your commitment to Swahili. And, that’s so amazing that you have been almost fluent in Japanese! I guess because I first picked up the language when much older than you, it is harder for me, but I am also getting there – or I want to believe. I even sat and passed Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) levels 4 and 5 (still relative beginner level), but, of course, the language is bound to get much harder as you progress. I am currently in an online class for Japanese, but I bet the tutoring as you do/done is much more effective. I think I will also consider it for the future.
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Thank you so much! I’m still doing my best to be good at mastering this language even if the grammar system throws me off. I also want to see better representation with that language in that general and see it as part of my heritage even if I didn’t know about it for most of my life.
That’s cool how you took a proficiency test for Japanese. I never did that before, but I know Italki has one available which is where I hired tutors in Japanese and Swahili. Duolingo can only do so much, of course. Congrats on getting that far, and keep on practicing!
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Thank you for this list and for further amplifying and shining a light on this subject. Hotel Rwanda was my first introduction to learning about these genocides.
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Sure, thanks in turn for stopping by and commenting!
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