Films Without Borders: Two films focus on Rwanda genocide
From Multicultural Student Services
A little over 10 years ago, almost 1 million people were killed in Rwanda. As the streets of the capital city of Kigali ran red with blood from the genocide, the Rwandan conflict of the 1990s marked one of the bloodiest chapters in recent African history. At the time, the majority of the international community wrote off the event as a “Third World incident” not worthy of attention and it chose to ignore the conflict and the plight of the Rwandan people.
As part of the Films Without Borders Series, Multicultural Student Services, the Changing Faces of Minnesota – A Global Perspective and the English Department will co-sponsor two films that center around the Rwanda genocide.
“Hotel Rwanda”
This film will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in 3M Auditorium, Room 150, Owens Science Hall.
As Rwanda descends into madness, five-star hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle), sets out to save his family. But when he sees that the world will not intervene in the massacre of minority Tutsis, he finds the courage to open his hotel to more than 1,200 refugees. Now, with a rabid militia at the gates, he has only his wits to help keep them alive another hour, another day.
Visit the “Hotel Rwanda” Web site for more information.
“Ghosts of Rwanda ”
This film will be shown from 4 to 6:15 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 7 and 8, in the 3M Auditorium, Room 150, Owens Science Hall.
“Ghosts of Rwanda ” is a special two-hour documentary that marks the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide – a state-sponsored massacre in which some 800,000 Rwandans were methodically hunted down and murdered by Hutu extremists. The program examines the social, political and diplomatic failure that converged to enable the genocide to occur. Through interviews with key government officials and diplomats, soldiers, survivors and perpetrators, “Ghosts of Rwanda” presents ground-breaking, first-hand accounts of the genocide from those who lived it.
For more information on “Ghosts of Rwanda” visit the PBS Web site.
