FILM FESTIVAL: RWANDA

Short Synopsis

FILM FESTIVAL: RWANDA is a documentary feature that follows four young filmmakers in a country recovering from a tragic past.  An intimate portrait of Rwanda's new generation of storytellers and the annual "Hillywood Film Festival" that brings them together.

Description/Treatment

FILM TREATMENT & NARRATIVE SYNOPSIS

In 1994, the world turned its back on the genocide in Rwanda. Now a new generation of committed, passionate storytellers is emerging.  For the first time, young Rwandans are making movies in their own language - Kinyarwanda - traveling to rural villages and projecting their works on a giant inflatable screen. For ten days in March, they drive to remote villages - rain or shine - to delight audiences, many of whom have never seen a movie before, let alone one made in Rwanda, about Rwanda, and by Rwandans. Along the way, we detour into the daily lives and struggles of our four protagonists. Without formal training or expensive gear, these determined visionaries are committed to providing hope through film. Their spirit, determination, and ingenuity show us the power of "story" as a healing force in Rwanda and everywhere our film will be seen.

Captured and edited in verité style, using a mix of English, French and Kinyarwanda, our story  begins on an isolated back road somewhere between Gisenyi and Kigali, Rwanda. A disheveled, mud-covered van is angled off the side of the road.  Inside we see equipment packed to the ceiling.  Six weary filmmakers huddle around a flat tire shaking their heads debating what to do.  They have just two hours to make it to Gisenyi where the 4th Annual Hillywood Film Festival is supposed to premiere.  Their van contains precious cargo - all of the screen and projection equipment vital to the event still miles up the darkening road.   It is pouring rain and they aren’t going anywhere.  Our main protagonist is pacing beside the van, drenched, speaking fast in Kinyarwanda.  Ayuub is a 35-year-old father of three, the filmmakers’ field coordinator and master negotiator; a leader whose smile and gentle demeanor inspire everyone he meets.  The fixer.

Just as it appears things can’t get any worse, the rain suddenly breaks and a spare car part is found.  The van is once again “speeding” its way towards show time.  As the van pulls away, we transition to the back-story of how each of the people in the van got there…and the importance of where they are going and what they are doing.  We meet Ayuub, Richmond, Nicole, and Rodrigues - Rwandans involved in the budding film “industry.” They share with us, in their own language, the inspiring journey that led them to their passion for filmmaking, and their determination to help future generations of Rwandans tell their own stories. 

Richmond, a 24-year-old magazine editor and first-time Director, is worried about audience reaction to his controversial first film, Better In Than Out.  It is a story about genocide murderers getting released from prison.  He’s standing amidst an eager crowd of nearly 3,000.  Twitching with opening night jitters, he knows he needs to face  audience feedback in person so he can continue to hone his storytelling skills.  The projector lights up and his audience begins to render their verdict.  Since the day Richmond’s father walked out on the family, his mother and three brothers share three cramped rooms.  Richmond knows any money he makes as a Director will help.  At home, in a dim back room, his mother frantically works to finish an order of kindergarten school uniforms, meticulously woven by hand.  Itis her way of feeding the family.

Nicole, 26, is a college student and actress who appears in every film at the festival. She is a proud woman, promoting justice and equality for women throughout Rwanda. Born in the Congo, Nicole’s parents both have PhD’s.  They are pressing her hard to find a prestigious job and get married before her next birthday.  Following Nicole on a typical day can be exhausting.  From leading community meetings to signing autographs for anxious teenagers, shenever stops moving.  Talented, and highly opinionated, Nicole offers alternative perspectives to each of the projects she works on, proving that drama between actors and directors is a shared experience, no matter what country you’re working in.

We also meet Rodrigues, a 34-year-old Casanova and technician tasked with the tedious job of rigging equipment in some very challenging situations.  Never without a smile, Rodrigues is Ayuub’s right hand man in making anything with a circuit work – often defying physics, finding power in places electricity shouldn’t work. Ambitious, sensitive and idealistic, Rodrigues is constantly trying to balance his creative desire for film with the practical realities of a career. And all the while his mother is always asking him why he isn’t married yet. In a country where kissing in public is taboo, the boldly affectionate Rodrigues struggles to find a perfect mate and keep his mother happy.  To finance his dreams, Rodrigues is forced to confront the daunting reality of job-hunting in Kigali.

We remain with these characters during the intimate details of their lives from the time they wake through the end of their day.  Quiet morning rituals with Ayuub: wrapped in only a towel, he brushes his teeth outside.  His boys bathe nearby from basins of chilly water.  Richmond consoles his mother about the lack of butter that morning for their bread. Money is tight.  Rodrigues cracks eggs on his windowsill carefully preparing his morning omelette then puts on his only tie for a job interview across town.  Nicole argues with her parents, frustrated with the incessant nagging.  She slams the door to her room.  Family disagreements and tension during hectic production schedules are a given.

All of our characters connect to our anchor, Ayuub. He is a man who knows suffering - he survived the genocide in exile.  His mother was murdered.  In the aftermath he worked tirelessly to reunite broken families.  It is during that time with Save The Children he met his wife, Claudine, who is now pregnant with their fourth boy.  She wakes up at 5A.M. each morning to shop for goods to later re-sell at a makeshift “store”, a tattered shack of scrap metal next door to their home.  She tells her husband, “You have a job - and now I have a job... I am an independent woman.” Richmond, Nicole and Rodrigues all look to Ayuub for direction - as teacher, leader, and friend.  It is through Ayuub’s gentle eyes we see each of them truly develop.  We see what he sees in the world of Rwandan film production and its unique challenges.  We live with Ayuub’s family and see how he delicately balances the demands of being a producer and a father - from his daily commute up muddy hills on foot and deeply rutted roads in his trusty 4x4 named “Talula”, to his creative process in identifying stories, to resolving political issues that threaten his team’s ability to put on the film festival.  All in a day.  Then perhaps his most urgent duty - his return home in time to see all of his boys off to bed.  A short calm before he’s off on another late night task to prep for the next day’s grueling location scout. Throughout these challenges, we see a passionate and emotional manmotivated to tell stories, entertain audiences, and inspire others to pursue their dreams.

Four characters and four storylines all converge on a rain-soaked field in Gisenyi. Our hero Ayuub exits the van  and his cell phone rings incessantly – more questions to answer, more emergencies to solve.  The rest of the crew arrives at the designated Festival location but to their surprise there is an unscheduled soccer match taking place where the screen is supposed to go.  After tedious negotiations with local officials and a lightening storm that threatens to shut down the Festival, the screen is finally up. The audience of 3,000 villagers stand transfixed – young children huddle together, mothers secure babies on their backs, and teenagers hold hands. It is hard to believe that just 15 years ago, in this very soccer stadium, 10,000 people were murdered during the genocide.  Now, on the same blood-stained grounds, people stand again – only this time bound by images of hope instead of horror.