The concept of the Rwanda Film Festival

This year, 2011, the 7th edition of the Rwanda Film Festival is underway. The Rwanda Film Festival (RFF) has become one of the world’s most important international festivals. As always, to celebrate cinema, comparing its past, present and future, and studying its ongoing relationship with other forms of artistic expression. The Rwanda Film Festival’s Event Director, Pierre Kayitana and his team have done a great job of showcasing various Rwandan movies that people easily relate with. The main purpose is to promote a cinematic culture, boost confidence and reward the efforts of local filmmakers by showcasing their movies, creating a venue where local businesses can get to know who is who in the industry and who has an ongoing project and how interesting those projects are so that they can invest in them. Film Festivals are meeting points for audiences, film directors, respected figures from the world of arts and a permanent forum for discussion, reflection, debate, but most of all a place where people can discover and rediscover the art of cinema. With the presence of major directors and internationally renowned actors, cinema art – artists and cinematic arts, cinema and its history, exhibitions, the Film Festival hopes to make Rwanda the place where audiences, film professionals, journalists and all those who want to enjoy various festival activities and enhance their experience of cinema can meet. “This is wonderful work, and exactly the kind of thing we Americans should be doing to connect with the rest of the world in a good way - with support, imagination, encouragement, and whatever technical expertise we have,” said Peter Clothier, author, “Persist: In Praise of the Creative Spirit in a World Gone Mad with Commerce” who is here for the festival. The Rwanda Film Festival has been reaching new heights each year by continually enriching its program and further widening the door opening onto the world of cinema. Organized by Rwanda Cinema Center, RFF has to date included full-length feature films along with nationally produced short films and student films, thus providing considerable support to these efforts by Rwandans. Despite the great achievements, there is a lot that needs to be done, mainly to further promote local talent. Local filmmakers are not given the attention they deserve and this has greatly affected the number of local projects at the Film Festival. There are Rwandans who have movie projects but have not been able to make their projects known because they don’t have someone to look up to for guidance. Take an example of Dady de Maximo Mitali, his debut documentary movie “By the shortcut” was a hit around the world. Its success was solely due to his efforts. Another Rwandan, Kivu Ruhorahoza who directed “Grey Matter” a movie which is actually the first feature length narrative film that was made in Rwanda by a Rwandan was a success at the Tribeca Film Festival. The RFF as a national programme that has incorporated Hillywood, a concept of showcasing films in the countryside on inflatable screens has been a success. As local talent continues to get visibility on the international scene, Rwanda is striving to create a venue where those who have great film projects are heard. Ends