‘One Day on Earth’ screened at Heaven

EVERY Saturday, a movie is screened at Heaven Restaurant located in Kiyovu, Kigali. However, last weekend was different and a special film was shown under the moonlight. The restaurant was one of the venues in 160 countries around the world where the film, One Day On Earth, was screened. Among other notable locations included the U.N. headquarters in New York. The film shot in all countries of the world, on October 10, 2010, shows how extraordinary a single day on our planet can be. According to Shane Bartlett, the manager Heaven Restaurant, the choice of the venue was a coincidence.“People from the United Nations who were involved in the film project had dinner here one night and they heard that we screen movies. They expressed their interest to partner with us during their film’s global screening,” said Bartlett.“We feel very lucky and honoured to participate in this record breaking moment on behalf of Rwanda. I think it is important because this is a movie that connects the entire world,” he said.Directed by Kyle Ruddick, the film takes a hard look at pressing global issues like endangered species, carbon emissions, and poverty. It tells, for instance, how 1.3 billion people have no access to clean water, and a species that become extinct every 20 minutes. More than 19,000 filmmakers, professional and novice, contributed more than 3,000 hours of footage to the project, which has the support of the United Nations and 60 non-profit organisations. It was a different experience for Eugene Safari, who was in the audience. “Watching this film, I felt a little closer to the rest of the world. I think it’s a film starring everyone on Earth.”Christian Gakombe, also from the audience, believes the film reminds us of our equality. “It is a very important film because it reminds us that despite our geographical differences, we are all the same people.”Some in the audience felt short-changed. “I find it unfair to see that while many countries, like Rwanda and Kenya got seconds in the film, North Korea military parade got a lot of screen time. Listening to their military speech somehow diverted my concentration on the film. I didn’t like that,” said Susan Kiragu, a visiting Kenyan actress.Film lovers in Kigali who missed the screening and might want to catch the film have to wait a little longer. “The film producer gave us a copy for this premiere; we do not have any right for further screenings. However, we are planning to ask them if we can own the copy. Our goal is to make the movie available to everyone who would like to watch it in Kigali,” explained Bartlett.Apart from the weekly film screenings, the restaurant promotes Rwandan culture by providing space for different cultural events. They also work closely with local artists and the spot is one of the popular selling points for Rwandan crafts in Kigali.

Leisure

‘One Day on Earth’ screened at Heaven