Tuesday night next week, we will be screening Alrick Brown’s KINYARWANDA as part of our This is that Goldcrest NYC screening series.
I remember why I want to make movies when I see films that take me to other lands and help me gain a better understanding of the world I am part of. When a film is able to also deliver such understanding in a personal and intimate way, making me feel at one with a diverse group of characters on multiple sides of an incredibly complex issue, the passion to create meaningful work grows even stronger.
I remember why I want to make movies when I see films that take me to other lands and help me gain a better understanding of the world I am part of. When a film is able to also deliver such understanding in a personal and intimate way, making me feel at one with a diverse group of characters on multiple sides of an incredibly complex issue, the passion to create meaningful work grows even stronger. When the work refuses to oversimplify or rely on overt sentimentality to do this, when the filmmakers clearly have made great sacrifices to get the movie made, when those filmmakers fill — what in some other hands may have been a bleak or upsetting venture — with love, hope, and the vitality of life, I recognize why movies matter so much. I believe such a work will make our world a better place.
Alrick Brown’s directorial debut, KINYARWANDA, winner of the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance this year is a deeply felt & personal film that looks at an array of characters’ lives before, during, and after the 100 day Rwandan genocide as they strive for peace and reconciliation. It is also the first feature film produced by Rwandans.
I am confident that I will never have to endure anything as horrifying as what the characters in Brown’s film experience, but I am thankful that Alrick chose to dramatize both how easy it is for evil to infect strong people, and how hard it is for the strongest of people to act righteously when presented with an easy opportunity. The differences in all of us will continue to be exploited by those desiring power and privilege, but art, such as KINYARWANDA, will always be one of the necessary bridges to bring us together.
Please check out this movie as soon as you get a chance. Their Facebook page is here.
