A documentary exploring the history of Umuganda is taking Rwanda’s monthly community service tradition to international audiences, earning recognition at film festivals in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and Brazil.

The film recently premiered at the 15th edition of the Filmambiente Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is ranked among Latin America’s major environmental film festivals.

Filmambiente showcases recent films and videos addressing environmental and human rights issues, with the aim of raising awareness, encouraging debate and promoting action to protect the planet.

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Produced by Zion Sulaiman Mukasa Matovu with guidance from the Rwanda Elders Advisory Forum Cabinet (REAF) and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Umuganda first premiered at the University of Rwanda on March 4.

Matovu said having the documentary screened at Filmambiente was a significant milestone for Rwanda’s film industry and an opportunity to present a different image of the country to international audiences.

"This is the biggest environmental festival in Latin America. For years, Rwanda has been known internationally through stories of what happened to us. Umuganda allows us to tell a different story, how we live, how we rebuild, and how we build together,” he told The New Times.

The filmmaker said Rwanda’s envoy to Brazil, Irene Vida Gala, was among those who have supported the project, including through videos introducing Umuganda to Brazilian audiences.

The documentary traces the history of Umuganda from the early Rwandan kingdom through the colonial period and the Genocide against the Tutsi. It examines how the practice evolved through different periods of Rwanda’s history and survived to become part of modern-day Rwanda.

The film received an award from the IndieFEST Film Awards in the United States on April 28 and another from the Accolade Global Film Competition on August 24.

It has also screened in Japan at the Kanazawa Film Festival and in London at the Native Spirit Festival.

Following its Brazil screening, the documentary is scheduled to screen at the Commffest Global Community Film Festival in Canada on October 4 and the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival in New York on November 10.