As the country continues to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, several Genocide related movies were screened at Kigali Serena Hotel on Sunday.

People couldn’t hold back tears as horrifying images of the Genocide that left over one million people dead were screened.

Three Genocide movies Keepers of memory, We are all Rwandans, and Iseta: Behind the roadblock, directed and produced by Eric Kabera, the founder of Kwetu Film Institute, were viewed by a sizeable audience.

The following day, two other films 100 Days and Shake hands with the devil, were shown at a fee of Rwf3000 that will go into supporting the survivors Genocide.

Synopsis

Keepers of Memory (2005)Keepers of Memory is a 52-minute powerful and emotional documentary about the 1994 Genocide the Tutsi.

Through eyewitness accounts and gripping footage, Rwanda’s acclaimed director Eric Kabera takes the viewers on an emotional journey into the 1994 Genocide, its survivors, and the memorials created in the victims’ honour.

The film focuses on the personal accounts of men and women, who watch over the sacred burial sites keeping the memories alive for future generations. They tell a tale of unimaginable pain and loss that is both inspirational and thought provoking as they bravely face the future and rebuild their lives.

We Are All Rwandans (2008)The 25-minute film is based on the true story of the Nyange school students in Rwanda, attacked by rebels in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide.

Their refusal to betray each other cost the lives of six of them. Their bravery would later give hope to a nation.

Iseta: Behind the Roadblock (2008)Iseta: Behind the Roadblock is about the extraordinary journey of evidence as Juan Reina, the original photographer, returns to Rwanda and revisits the people and events that he caught on film.

As the footage returns to the community, friends and family come together to work with Reina to identify the victims and eventually, the killers.

Shake Hands with the Devil (2007)This dramatic feature film is based on Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire’s book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. It recounts Dallaire’s harrowing personal journey during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and how the United Nations failed to heed Dallaire’s urgent pleas for assistance to halt the killings.

100 Days (2001)100 Days is a drama film directed by Nick Hughes and produced by Hughes and Eric Kabera. The film is a dramatisation of events that happened during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The title of the film is a direct reference to the length of time that the Genocide lasted, from April 6 through July 3, 1994.

It was the first feature film made about the 1994 Genocide, and focuses on the life of a young refugee Tutsi girl and her attempts to find safety, while the genocide is taking place. It was shot at locations where the Genocide actually occurred.

"It was a cause we thought would make a difference in the lives of the elderly and lonely survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” Kabera said.

Some of the attendees said that it was not the first time they were watching the films although their turn up was in support of the Genocide survivors. They said such screenings help in understanding the history of the Genocide, and to fight Genocide ideology and denial.

"These films are positive and developmental in a sense that they convey a message of hope to the Genocide survivors when they tell their stories. We ought to be watching them as often as we can because these are stories that should never be forgotten,” one of the viewers said.

Meanwhile, several other Genocide commemoration films are being screened at the Kagugu based Kwetu Film Institute.

This year’s commemoration theme is "Remember the Genocide against the Tutsi – Fight Genocide Ideology – Build on Our Progress.”

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