''Munyurangabo'' is a 2007 drama film directed by Lee Isaac Chung. Filmed entirely in Rwanda with local actors, it is the first narrative feature film in the Kinyarwanda language. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the

2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. The President of the Jury was British director Stephen Frears. Twenty two films from twelve countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 26 May. ''4 M ...

on 24 May and won the Grand Prize at the 2007 AFI Fest. American critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

calls it "in every frame a beautiful and powerful film — a masterpiece."

Plot

After stealing a machete from a market in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

, Munyurangabo and his friend Sangwa leave the city to return to their village. Munyurangabo seeks justice for his parents, who were killed in the

1994 genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

against Tutsi in Rwanda, while Sangwa wants to return to the home he had left years ago. Although the two boys had planned to stay for only a few hours, they end up spending several days. But, because they are from two different tribes, their friendship is sorely tried. Sangwa's parents distrust Munyurangabo, and warn their son that Hutus and Tutsis are supposed to be enemies.

Cast

* Jeff Rutagengwa - Munyurangabo * Eric Ndorunkundiye - Sangwa *

Jean Marie Vianney Nkurikiyinka Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

- Papa Sangwa * Jean Pierre Harerimana - Gwiza * Narcicia Nyirabucyeye - Mama Sangwa * Edouard B. Uwayo - Poet

Production

According to '' The New York Times'', prior to the making of the film, director Lee Isaac Chung's wife Valerie, an art therapist, had traveled to Rwanda as a volunteer to work with those affected by the 1994 genocide. At her urging, Chung accompanied her to Rwanda and volunteered to teach a filmmaking class at a relief base in

in the summer of 2006. Sensing an opportunity to present the contemporary reality of Rwanda and to provide his students with practical film training, Chung arrived with a nine-page outline which he had written with the help of old friend (and the film's eventual co-producer and co-writer) Samuel Gray Anderson. Chung shot Munyurangabo over 11 days, working with a team of nonprofessional actors Chung found through local orphanages and his students as crew members.

Critical reception

''Munyurangabo'' has received highly positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93% of critics have given the film a positive review with an average rating of 7.92/10, based on 25 reviews.

called ''Munyurangabo'' "in every frame a beautiful and powerful film — a masterpiece." In his

review, ''Variety'' critic Robert Koehler described it as "by several light years -- the finest and truest film yet on the moral and emotional repercussions of the 15-year-old genocide that wracked Rwanda." Writing in '' Film Comment'', the late critic Robin Wood similarly described the film as a "masterpiece" and "an authentically beautiful film".

Subsequent development

Lee Isaac Chung continues to mentor young

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

n filmmakers through Almond Tree

, the

n outpost for his U.S.-based production company, Almond Tree Films. Almond Tree

has produced several acclaimed shorts that have traveled to international festivals.

Awards

Official Selection *

* Toronto International Film Festival * Busan International Film Festival * 2008 Berlin International Film Festival *

Sarajevo International Film Festival The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, and brings internation ...

* Rotterdam Film Festival * Maryland Film Festival * New Directors/New Films Festival at the Museum of Modern Art *

Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema The Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI, es, Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente) is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the month of April, in the city of ...

* AFI Fest 2007- Grand Prize * Amiens 2007 *

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...

2008- Someone to Watch (Nominee) * Gotham Awards 2008- Breakthrough Director (Nominee)

References

External links

*
Voted #19 on The Arts and Faith Top 100 Films (2010)
{{Lee Isaac Chung 2007 films Rwandan drama films Films set in Rwanda 2007 drama films Kinyarwanda-language films American drama films 2000s American films 2007 directorial debut films