RECREATION:Investing in Rwanda’s film industry

Consequently, a $2m cinema complex with two cinema halls, offices, film and T.V stations, 10 classes and 16 apartments to accommodate film students, is being built. “Film Festival of Rwanda gives me goose-bumps. In an era of mega-budgets and special effects, here’s a fascinating, compelling, and universal story about the power of...story. It reminds me of why some of us became film-makers, and why all of us became film-lovers.” -Phil Alden Robinson, Writer / Director, ‘FIELD OF DREAMS’ This catchy excerpt from the ‘Film Festival Rwanda’ home page, almost tells all about the young generation of film producers in this country’s growing film industry. Starting from scratch, Eric Kabera, a young film-maker started his own business in 2002 producing films. This led to the birth of the Rwanda Cinema Center (RCC). Being a new business in the country, the odds were far fetched. However, three years later in 2005, what seemed like an impossible task had already become a reality. Students were already being trained as film-makers and producers. The works of their hands have so far been revealed in the various annually organised Film Festivals. The Film Festivals is an entity of the RCC having marketed a new generation of story tellers to the world through its ‘Hillywood’ and inflatable film shows. However, there was need for a bigger audience and space where film-makers, film-producers and film-lovers could all meet and enjoy the power of motion pictures. Consequently, a $2m cinema complex with two cinema halls, offices, film and T.V stations, 10 classes and 16 apartments to accommodate film students, is being built. The complex will create an independent movie theatre making and showing local films. Pierre Kayitana, the Director of the Rwanda Film Festival, during an interview on February 22nd, said the cinema complex will be a one-stop-shop for Rwanda’s Film Industry. This was at the Preliminary Schedule and Structure function. “Today we have an unfinished cinema complex which is a huge investment. Besides building the complex, it’s a $2m project which also includes film equipment acquisition,” Kayitana said. Raising these funds according to Kayitana, has been the responsibility of the RCC and a few other supporters and friends. For this years 5th Annual Rwanda Film Festival, an intense programme is scheduled which will run from June 12th – 28th. Each day will be unique involving Hillywood screenings countrywide, workshops and panel discussions and women and children panoramas. Silverback Filmmaker Awards, Youths Red Carpet Party and will conclude with the another mega party. This period according to the Film Festival Director, are huge corporate selling opportunities for various companies. He explained that private companies will be given the opportunity to host an event as a way of marketing their products and gaining visibility. With such a big project in place, the young film makers have attracted a lot of attention and recognition from some of the best film entities in the world. “Hollywood is coming to Hillywood,” Kayitana said, “…we are inviting people from the U.S and Europe who will participate and also invest in the Film Festival.” Already involved are the likes of the Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Film Institute, Academy of Motion Pictures (organisers of the Oscar Awards), Borno and U2’s Red Wire.Com who will post live videos on the web, Flip Camera, among many others. These companies are investing in partnerships and projects with RCC that will establish a film infrastructure in Rwanda.Jennifer Bruneti a US national representing the Tribeca Film Festival said that the Rwanda Film Festival is similar to the Tribeca Film Festival because they were both founded after tragedies on the principle that film had the power to heal and empower youths. For the Rwanda Film Festival it was the 1994 Genocide of Tutsis whole for the Tribeca Film Festival it was the bombing of the World Trade Centre. Ends