Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Terry George
Written by	Keir Pearson Terry George
Produced by	Terry George
Starring	Don Cheadle Sophie Okonedo Ahmed Panchbaya Nick Nolte Joaquin Phoenix Jean Reno
Cinematography	Robert Fraisse
Edited by	Naomi Geraghty
Music by	Afro Celt Sound System Rupert Gregson-Williams Andrea Guerra
Distributed by	Lions Gate Entertainment United Artists
Release date	December 22, 2004
Running time	121 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States Italy South Africa
Languages	English French
Budget	$17,500,000
Box office	$33,882,243

Hotel Rwanda is a Template:Fy historical drama film about the hotelier Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle) during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. The film, which has been called an African Schindler's List, documents Rusesabagina's acts to save the lives of his family and more than a thousand other refugees, by granting them shelter in the besieged Hôtel des Mille Collines. Directed by Terry George, the film was co-produced by US, British, Italian, and South African companies, with filming done on location in Johannesburg, South Africa and Kigali, Rwanda. As an independent film, it had an initial limited release in theaters, but was nominated for multiple awards, including Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Screenplay. It continues to be one of the most–rented films on services, such as Netflix, and is listed by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 most inspirational movies of all time.

Historical context

The film is set in 1994, during the Rwandan Genocide in which over 1,000,000 people, mainly Tutsi, were killed by the Hutus. Paul Rusesabagina himself was consulted during the writing of the film.

Plot

Tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples lead to a war, in a country where corruption and bribes are routine. Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), the manager of Sabena Hôtel des Mille Collines, is Hutu but his wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo), is Tutsi. His marriage is a source of friction with Hutu extremists, most prominently Georges Rutaganda, a friendly supplier to the hotel who also is the local leader of Interahamwe, a brutal anti-Tutsi militia.

As the political situation in the country deteriorates, Paul and his family observe neighbors being dragged from their homes and openly beaten in the streets. Paul curries favor with people of influence, bribing them with money and alcohol, seeking to maintain sufficient influence to keep his family safe. When civil war erupts and a Rwandan Army officer threatens Paul and his neighbors, Paul barely negotiates their safety, and brings everyone to the hotel. More refugees come to the hotel from the overburdened United Nations camp, the Red Cross, and orphanages. Paul must divert the Hutu soldiers, care for the refugees, be a source of strength to his family, and maintain the appearance of a functioning high–class hotel, as the situation becomes more and more violent, with mobs in the streets just outside the gates.

The UN Peacekeeping forces, led by Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte), are unable to take assertive action against the Interahamwe since they are forbidden to intervene in the genocide. The foreign nationals are evacuated, but the Rwandans are left behind. When the UN forces attempt to evacuate a group of refugees, including Paul's family, they are ambushed and must turn back. In a last-ditch effort to save the refugees, Paul speaks to the Rwandan Army General, Augustin Bizimungu (Fana Mokoena) and when the bribes no longer work, he blackmails him with threats of being tried as a war criminal. The family and the hotel refugees finally leave the besieged hotel in a UN convoy, and they travel through retreating masses of refugees and militia to reach safety behind Tutsi rebel lines.

Cast

• Don Cheadle as Paul Rusesabagina
• Sophie Okonedo as Tatiana Rusesabagina
• Nick Nolte as Colonel Oliver (based on Roméo Dallaire)
• Fana Mokoena as General Austin Bizimungu
• Cara Seymour as Pat Archer
• Joaquin Phoenix as journalist Jack Daglish
• Jean Reno as Sabena Airlines President Mr. Tillens
• Desmond Dube as Dube
• Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Georges Rutaganda

Release

The film opened in limited release. It has grossed $33 million to date, making it a success for an independent film. According to the 3 December 2006 edition of this is not liget!!!!!60 Minutes, Hotel Rwanda was the fifth most-rented movie on Netflix at the time. It is currently the 17th most-rented movie on Netflix.

Reception

The film has received a great deal of critical acclaim, with a 92% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 178 reviews. In the United States, the film was originally rated R, but is one of the few films that appealed the rating and won. It was re-rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief strong language. Hotel Rwanda was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Don Cheadle, Best Supporting Actress for Sophie Okonedo, and Best Original Screenplay for Keir Pearson and Terry George.

The film is also the subject of criticism from various groups, as it is seen that its successful box office return was not reflected in donations to survival charities such as the Survivors Fund (SURF):

“For too long survivors have lived with broken promises, and the producers of Hotel Rwanda should learn from this lesson and fulfil their commitment to give back to the survivors profits made from the film. This is a sad and regretful case of people profiting from the tragedy of others.”

— Mary Kayitesi Blewitt, Director of SURF

The American Film Institute ranked Hotel Rwanda as #90 on its list of the 100 most inspirational movies of all time. Film critic Richard Roeper said that it was one of the most inspirational films that he had ever seen and named the film the best of 2004. Roger Ebert gave the film four-stars and ranked Hotel Rwanda as the ninth best movie of 2004. Ebert's website provides a summary of additional reviews of the film.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
Category	Performer	Result
Best Actor	Don Cheadle	Nominated
Best Supporting Actress	Sophie Okonedo	Nominated
Best Original Screenplay	Terry George & Keir Pearson	Nominated
BAFTA Award
Category	Performer	Result
Best Original Screenplay	Terry George & Keir Pearson	Nominated
Black Reel Awards
Category	Performer	Result
Best Actor in a Drama	Don Cheadle	Nominated
Best Actress in a Drama	Sophie Okonedo	Winner
Broadcast Film Critics Association
Category	Performer	Result
Best Actor in a Drama	Don Cheadle	Nominated
Best Picture	N/A	Nominated
Producers Guild of America
Category	Performer	Result
Stanley Kramer Award		Winner

See also

• Georges Ruggiu (the radio announcer)
• Million Voices – song from the film
• Umqombothi
• African Children's Choir
• Filmography of the Rwandan Genocide

External links

• Hotel Rwanda
• Hotel Rwanda at IMDb
• Hotel Rwanda at AllMovie
• Filming the Unfilmable - The challenge of the genocide movie
• Hotel Rwanda at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
• Immortal Chaplains Foundation honors Rusesibagina, and affirms the movie's version of events