Rwanda Film Festival: Shokola gets its share

This time around, Rwanda’s showbiz is really thrilling. The 5th annual Rwanda Film Festival is still on. There are lots of film screenings at different venues in Kigali city. Movie lovers are getting a chance to watch some of these moving and exciting movies just close to their homes. Last Friday, Shokola, a newly established restaurant in Kiyovu, teamed up with Rwanda Cinema Centre and screened a couple of films. The restaurant was jam-packed, as movie lovers flocked in from different parts of the city to catch-up with the day’s films.Admission was free, but food and drinks were on sale. There was a huge screen, and the lights were switched off to create a cosy atmosphere for movie devotees to enjoy. A huge bonfire, provided warmth, and the restaurant area was extremely quiet to favour those who were serious about watching the films. The first film to be screened was; “Children of Congo” (2008), directed by Dan Ballaf. It lasted two hours, but other films which included: “Mob Doc”, by a Kenyan actor Egregious Jitu and many others were screened until late. The film “Children of Congo”; documents the plight of thousands of street children living in Kinshasa, going into the widespread accusations of witchcraft, torture and child prostitution. In an interview with The New Times, Kenya’s film star Egregious Jitu said that Rwandans are blessed with many talents, and that he was truly moved by Hillywood’s films. “Rwanda’s films are inspiring because they are based on true stories.” The owner of Shokola, Amini Gafaranga said that the event was to celebrate the Hillywood Film Festival, and not advertising for his two-week old restaurant. However, this seemed an opportunity for the newly established restaurant to gain popularity. According to Rwanda Cinema Centre’s Technical Director Jacques Rutabinga, the major aim for this festival is to raise awareness in the country and beyond about the Rwanda Film Festival, and to celebrate film in Rwanda. This year, the film festival is showing independent and foreign films and hosts a short subject contest. Other films set for screenings include Jerusalema (2008), a South African crime drama directed by Ralph Ziman, Iron Ladies of Liberia (2007), La Griotte de Senghor (2008) directed by Angele Diabang, which will be screened this week at Chez Robert. Torero Café will be the next after Chez Robert restaurant to host the Film Festival screenings. War Child, Iron Ladies of Liberia, Jerusalema, and Children of Congo and in My Genes, are among the films scheduled to screen at the downtown cafe. Ends

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Rwanda Film Festival: Shokola gets its share