The wait is over as Alanna Brown’s ‘Trees of Peace’, a movie depicting the life of four women during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, is finally streaming on global entertainment mainstreaming giant, Netflix. The global release of the movie took effect June 10 about three months since Netflix in March successfully acquired worldwide rights from UTA Independent Film Group to the Genocide against the Tutsi drama. Inspired by true events, the 98-minute movie is about four women from different backgrounds who forge an unbreakable sisterhood while trapped and in hiding during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Despite all of its horror, Trees of Peace is a powerful tale of survival and forgiveness. Famous Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, who plays the lead role of Annick in the movie, is one of the lead characters starring in the movie alongside Australian actress Ella Cannon (Peyton) and Zimbabwean-Australian actress Charmaine Bingwa (Jeanette). Also starring is Bola Koleosho (Mutesi), an up-coming Nigerian-American actress with extensive experience in stage theater, including performances at the Guthrie Theater. Umuhire is now the latest Rwandan to feature on the Netflix platform and joins very few Rwandan filmmakers making their mark on the streaming giant including the likes of Ncuti Gatwa who rose to prominence as Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education. The movie earned him a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television and three BAFTA Television Award nominations for Best Male Comedy Performance. Directed by American filmmaker Alanna Brown, ‘Trees of Peace’ was shot in October-November of 2019, but the post-production was delayed and extended due to Covid-19. It took all of 2020 to be finalised. Prior to streaming on Netflix, the film has already won the top three jury prizes at American Black Film Festival including the John Singleton Award for Best First Feature and earned the top jury award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival after it premiered there last year. Featuring on Netflix means the movie will be accessible to over 222 million subscribers using the mainstreaming giant worldwide.
