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Hotel Rwanda

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Hotel Rwanda Summary

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Hotel Rwanda

Directed by	Terry George
Produced by	Terry George A. Kitman Ho
Written by	Keir Pearson, Terry George
Starring	Don Cheadle Sophie Okonedo Ahmed Panchbaya Nick Nolte Jean Reno
Distributed by	Lions Gate Films United Artists
Release date(s)	September 11, 2004
Running time	121 min.
Language	English, French
Budget	~ US$17,500,000
IMDb profile

Hotel Rwanda is a historical drama film that shows the quiet heroism of one man, Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), during the Rwandan Genocide. Directed by Northern Irish filmmaker Terry George, it was co-produced in 2004 by US, British, Italian, and South African companies, and the first ever co-production between the rival independent film studios Lions Gate Films and United Artists. It was filmed mostly in South Africa, with some second unit filming in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Hotel Rwanda has been called an African Schindler's List.^[1] Both movies portray a man who uses his political position, social skills and quick wit to rescue thousands of lives from a holocaust. Hotel Rwanda was nominated for three Oscars: Best Actor (Cheadle), Best Supporting Actress (Sophie Okonedo), and Best Original Screenplay.

1 Synopsis
2 Historical accuracy
3 Subtle or hidden references
4 Reviews
5 Reception
6 Awards/Nominations
7 Famous quotes from the film
8 Cast
9 Similar films
10 See also
11 Notes
12 External links

Synopsis

This film is based on true events that took place during the genocidal violence that erupted in Rwanda between the Hutu and Tutsi groups in 1994, when the Hutu military and Interahamwe militias killed roughly 800,000 Tutsis over approximately 100 days. The film opens with a radio being tuned in to RTLM, playing an extremist anti-Tutsi broadcast (“They are cockroaches. They are murderers. Rwanda is our Hutu land”) to elaborate on the situation in Rwanda in 1994. Massive tensions existed between the Hutus, the majority group and the Tutsis, the minority group that had once had governmental control. The invasion by the predominantly Tutsi RPF and the resulting civil war had increased these tensions. Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) and his wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo) make a good living in Rwanda with their three children, two girls and a son. Paul is the hotel manager of the Belgian resort, the Hotel des Mille Collines - perhaps the most extravagant hotel in the country. As Paul continues his daily job of gladhanding high-ranking Rwandan officials and foreign visitors, he starts to become aware of a dangerous tension brewing in the city. Early in the film Paul goes to visit George Rutaganda, deputy leader of the Hutu extremist Interahamwe militia, who encourages him to join the Interahamwe. Paul, a moderate Hutu, refuses. Paul begins to realize that something terrible is about to happen in the country, but his fears are eased because the United Nations and foreign press are in the city to cover the president signing a historic peace agreement. Paul and the others at the hotel are informed that the president was killed when his plane was shot down, presumably by the Tutsi rebels (it has been alleged that Hutu extremists upset at the peace signing, shot down the president so as to have a motivating catalyst for the actions against the Tutsi.)^[2] Massive Hutu riots begin, as tens of thousands of Tutsis across the city and country are slaughtered by the Interahamwe, who are backed by the (predominantly Hutu) national army. Paul immediately looks after his family only, and hopes the uprising will be squashed because of the U.N. presence in the country, coupled with journalists openly documenting the slaughter. (One such journalist in the country is played by actor Joaquin Phoenix.) As conditions worsen, Paul starts to locate his friends and relatives, many of them (including his wife) are Tutsi, in an attempt to transport them to the hotel, as it is under the protection of U.N. soldiers, led by Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte). Paul manages to bribe violent soldiers into letting his friends and family live, and gets them into the hotel. Hundreds more refugees flock to the hotel for safety and the staff becomes overwhelmed with feeding and helping all the children and injured. Ten Belgian U.N. soldiers are murdered while protecting Tutsi Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, who was also killed. A convoy from a French-led intervention force arrives, but only to evacuate foreign nationals, mostly whites and journalists who were guests there. Oliver leaves the hotel with only four U.N. guards and ashamedly tells Paul that no foreign help is coming to stop the slaughter because no one cares enough to intervene, as troops from both the intervention force and from some of the UNAMIR nations withdraw. Paul telephones all his contacts and trades in favors he had built up as manager of the hotel. RTLM radio urges Hutus to storm the hotel and kill Paul as well as all the Tutsi "cockroaches". Paul, in a desperate attempt, manages to convince his contact in the Hutu army, General Augustin Bizimungu, that he will be charged with war crimes unless he comes to the hotel and stops the Interahamwe from slaughtering refugees. Bizimungu attempts to convince Paul to retreat with him and the army to Gitarama, to escape the RPF rebel advance on Kigali, but eventually agrees with Paul. The plan works, and the refugees are saved. A large convoy of U.N. trucks finally arrives to save everyone, traveling away from the hotel. The convoy passes thousands of fleeing Hutus, attempting to escape from the RPF. The convoy is rescued from an Interahamwe attack by an RPF ambush and is able to reach the refugee camp. At the camp, Paul and Tatiana find their two missing nieces among other lost children as well as Pat Archer (a Red Cross member who brought several orphans to the hotel earlier in the story), and celebrate their survival and reunion. The ending titles reveal that Paul managed to save 1,268 refugees and that because of the RPF invasion the Hutu army/Interahamwe retreated into Zaire. It also explains that Rutaganda and General Bizimungu were tried for crimes against humanity, but also reveals that almost 1,000,000 Rwandans lost their lives in the genocide. Paul now lives in Belgium with his family, including his adopted nieces.

Historical accuracy

Several journalists and historians confirm the film's accuracy in portraying the fundamental sequence of events at the Hotel des Mille Collines and surrounding Kigali.^[3]^[4] The film contains some minor historical inaccuracies:

Characters in the film refer to the "Congo", instead of Zaire, which was the name of the DRC at the time.^[5]

Subtle or hidden references

A magazine rack in the lobby of the hotel holds a copy of Time magazine's 1992 Man of the Year with Bill Clinton on the cover. Also a caption is heard on the radio of Clinton saying that the safety of American citizens is assured. This was likely a deliberate statement by the film-maker, calling attention to Clinton's admitted failure to prevent or stop the Rwandan genocide.^[6] Colonel Oliver was also a veiled reference to General Romeo Dallaire, the French-Canadian soldier who headed up the UN peace-keeping forces in Rwanda.

Reviews

The film has received a great deal of critical acclaim, with a 91% 'fresh' rating on RottenTomatoes.^[7] In the United States, the film was originally rated R, but is one of the few films that appealed and won its appeal. 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 American Film Institute ranked Hotel Rwanda as #90 on its list of the 100 most inspirational movies of all time.^[8] 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.^[9] Roger Ebert gave the film four-stars^[10] and ranked Hotel Rwanda as the ninth best movie of 2004.^[9] Ebert's website provides a summary of additional reviews ^[11]

Reception

The film opened to limited theaters. It has grossed $300 million, making it a success. According to the December 3, 2006 edition of 1200 Minutes, Hotel Rwanda was the fifth most-rented movie on Netflix at the time. It was number four most rented in June 2007.^[12]

Awards/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

Famous quotes from the film

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Dube: Aah, that is a fine cigar, sir!
Paul Rusesabagina: This is a Cohiba cigar. Each one is worth 10,000 francs.
Dube: 10,000 francs?
Paul Rusesabagina: Yes, yes. But it is worth more to me than 10,000 francs.
Dube: What do you mean, sir?
Paul Rusesabagina: If I give a businessman 10,000 francs, what does that matter to him? He is rich. But, if I give him a Cohiba cigar straight from Havana, Cuba. Hey, that is style, Dube.
Dube: [smiles] Style!

Colonel Oliver: We're here as peace keepers, not peace makers.

Paul Rusesabagina: I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene.
Jack: Yeah and if no one intervenes, is it still a good thing to show?
Paul Rusesabagina: How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?
Jack: I think if people see this footage they'll say, "Oh my God, that's horrible," and then go on eating their dinners. [pause] What the Hell do I know?

Colonel Oliver: [explaining why the world will not intervene] You're black. You're not even a nigger. You're an African.

Pat Archer: [relating the last words of the orphan slain by the Hutus] Please don't let them kill me. I . . . I promise I won't be Tutsi anymore.

Pat Archer: [walking with family towards bus] They said that there wasn't any room.
Paul Rusesabagina: There's always room.

Paul Rusesabagina: You can't seriously believe that you could kill all the Tutsis...
George Rutaganda: And why not? Why not? We are halfway there already.