Rwandan documentary wins at Ismailia Film Festival

An invitation to a Film Festival is the dream many filmmakers hold dearly. Many produce films but are never honoured with the glimpse of such recognition.For that reason, anyone who watched the CEO of Rwanda Cinema Centre Eric Kabera, walk up the stage to accept an award from the recent Isamalia Film Festival, surely understand why he was so excited. There was possibly a big surprise written on his face, not to mention emotional words to thank the supporters and sponsors of RCC. Rwandan film-maker Eric Kabera’s documentary film ‘Iseta – The Story Behind The Roadblock’ won the (Best Short Documentary), at the Ismailia Film Festival, held October 10 to 17 in Ismailia, Egypt. Ismailia International Film Festival is an annual event in Egypt, to promote an intercultural dialogue for a deeper understanding of others by presenting their creative works to the audience and to encourage filmmakers of documentaries and short films to continue. In 57 minutes, Iseta tells the personal stories behind the only film footage of actual killings of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, detailing the brutality of the Rwandan genocide, a central theme running through many movies from Rwanda. During April 1994, on a quiet road in Kigali a group of neighbours in Rwanda were filmed. This was the early days of the Rwandan Genocide, and even though almost one million people were slaughtered, remarkably there is only one known segment of footage showing actual killing. ‘Iseta-The Story Behind The Roadblock’ is about the extraordinary journey of British camera man Nick Hughes returning to Rwanda, revisiting the people and events that he by chance caught on film. As the footage returns to the community, friends and family relive the tragic events as they work with the photographer to identify the victims, and then eventually the killers. Ends

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Rwandan documentary wins at Ismailia Film Festival