Hotel Rwanda

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Hotel Rwanda
Directed by Terry George
Produced by Terry George
Written by Keir Pearson
Terry George
Starring Don Cheadle
Sophie Okonedo
Ahmed Panchbaya
Nick Nolte
Jean Reno
Distributed by Lions Gate Films
United Artists
Release date(s) September 11, 2004
Running time 121 min
Country United Kingdom
United States
Italy
South Africa
Language English
French
Budget US$17,500,000
Gross revenue $33,882,243
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile
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Hotel Rwanda is a historical drama film about the hotelier Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle) during the Rwandan Genocide. Directed by Northern Irish filmmaker Terry George, it was co-produced in 2004 by US, British, Italian, and South African companies, and the first ever co-production between the rival independent film studios Lions Gate Films and United Artists.[citation needed] It was filmed mostly in South Africa, with some second unit filming in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.[1]

Hotel Rwanda has been called an African Schindler's List.[2] Ten years before the film was released, some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda—and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months 800,000 people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the Mille Collines.

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[edit] Plot

The film Hotel Rwanda, set in 1994, is based on the Rwandan genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people, mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutus, were killed by Hutu militias.[3] In the film, tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi people lead to a civil war in which the Tutsis are massacred because of their former rule over the nation. Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), the manager of Sabena Hôtel des Mille Collines, is torn between the sides as he is Hutu but his wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo), is Tutsi. His marriage paints him a traitor by fellow Hutu, including George Rutaganda, a supplier to the hotel and Hutu zealot who unsuccessfully presses Paul to join the Interahamwe, an extremist anti-Tutsi militia.

Upon the eve of the civil war, Paul’s neighbors and family look to him for leadership, and he must deliver them from the ruthless Hutu who are determined to wipe out the Tutsis. After bartering with a high-ranking officer for the safety of his friends and family, Paul brings them to his hotel. More refugees flood into the hotel as the United Nations's refugee camp becomes either too dangerous or too crowded to be safe. The hotel also becomes overcrowded, and Paul must divert the Hutu soldiers, care for the refugees, and maintain the hotel.

The UN Peacekeeping forces, led by Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte), are ineffectual against the Interhamwe despite Oliver's constant attempts to help Paul, his sympathy towards the refugees, and his disdain for the non-caring world powers.

As the Interhamwe advance on the hotel, the stress begins to take its toll on Paul and his family. The UN forces attempt to lead several of the refugees out, including Paul's family, but are turned back after a fight with the Interhamwe. In a last ditch effort to save the refugees, Paul speaks to the Hutu army general, Augustin Bizimungu (Fana Mokoena) and attempts to blackmail him with threats of being tried as a war criminal. Bizimungu agrees and they return to the hotel, only to find it under siege. Bizimungu's forces bring an end to the chaos as Paul frantically looks for his wife and family, thinking they had killed themselves like Paul told them to if the troops came to the hotel. Paul finds them hiding in a bathroom, and they and the hotel refugees leave in a UN convoy that travels through retreating Hutu refugees and militia to reach safety behind Tutsi rebel lines. As the film concludes, Paul finds his two young nieces, whose parents were never found, and takes them along with his family on a bus departing the country.

[edit] Cast


[edit] Release

The film opened in limited release. It has grossed $23 million to date, making it a success for an independent film. According to the December 3, 2006 edition of 60 Minutes, Hotel Rwanda was the fifth most-rented movie on Netflix at the time. It is currently the eighth most-rented movie on Netflix.[4]

[edit] Reception

The film has received a great deal of critical acclaim, with a 92% 'fresh' rating on RottenTomatoes.[5] In the United States, the film was originally rated R, but is one of the few films that appealed the rating and won. It was re-rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief strong language. Hotel Rwanda was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Don Cheadle, Best Supporting Actress for Sophie Okonedo, and Best Original Screenplay for Keir Pearson and Terry George.

The American Film Institute ranked Hotel Rwanda as #90 on its list of the 100 most inspirational movies of all time.[6] Film critic Richard Roeper said that it was one of the most inspirational films that he had ever seen and named the film the best of 2004.[7] Roger Ebert gave the film four-stars[8] and ranked Hotel Rwanda as the ninth best movie of 2004.[7] Ebert's website provides a summary of additional reviews of the film. [9]

[edit] Awards and Nominations

Academy Awards
Category Performer Result
Best Actor Don Cheadle Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Sophie Okonedo Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Terry George & Keir Pearson Nominated
BAFTA Award
Category Performer Result
Best Original Screenplay Terry George & Keir Pearson Nominated
Black Reel Awards
Category Performer Result
Best Actor in a Drama Don Cheadle Nominated
Best Actress in a Drama Sophie Okonedo Winner
Broadcast Film Critics Association
Category Performer Result
Best Actor in a Drama Don Cheadle Nominated
Best Picture N/A Nominated

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ IMDB: Hotel Rwanda Filming Locations.
  2. ^ Burr, Ty. "Hotel Rwanda Movie Review: Cheadle brings quiet power to 'Rwanda'". Boston Globe. 
  3. ^ Rwanda: How the Genocide Happened. Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
  4. ^ Netflix Top 100. Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
  5. ^ Review at RottenTomatoes. Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
  6. ^ AFI's 100 years . . . 100 cheers. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
  7. ^ a b Ebert and Roeper's top ten movies of each year. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
  8. ^ Roger Ebert reviews Hotel Rwanda. Dec. 22, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
  9. ^ Quotes from various reviews of Hotel Rwanda. Excerpted by Rogert Ebert. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links