Movie co-directed by Rwandan shines at international film festival

GILBERT Ndahayo has basked in glory after his role as co-director for the feature documentary ‘Life In A Day’ which is screening at the ongoing 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The annual Sundance Film Festival which kicked off on January 20 is a famous event that attracts various filmmakers from across the world to showcase their works. The footage, filmed in Uganda, explores the neighbouring country’s culture of kneeling down. Women and young girls in rural areas of Buganda are expected to kneel when speaking to men. The movie was produced by the famous filmmaker, Ridley Scott (who directed Black Hawk Down) and directed by Kevin MacDonald (producer of The Last King of Scotland). Last year, Ndahayo released his debut feature ‘Rwanda: Beyond The Deadly Pit’. The film premiered at the Ivy League International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and was nominated Best Documentary Feature in Los Angeles. The New York – based Rwandan filmmaker told The New Times that he has not stopped directing African films. He is the recipient of 2008 Verona Award and Signis nomination for his documentary ‘Behind This Convent.’Ndahayo is pursuing a Masters in Fine Arts and Film directing programme at Columbia University. This year, 118 feature-length films, including the ‘Kinyarwanda’ (Rwanda/USA production), based on accounts from survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and directed by an African American, Alrick Brown, were selected representing 29 countries by 40 first-time filmmakers, including 25 in competition. The Sundance Film Festival was found by Robert Redford when he bought land at Timpanogos in Utah’s Wasatch Mountain in America. The festival has launched careers of many independent filmmakers who go on to become Oscar winners and nominees. Ends

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Movie co-directed by Rwandan shines at international film festival