How Long Is “Kinyarwanda”?

In 1994, civil war broke out in Rwanda, leading to bloody infighting between the nation's two principle ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. Rwandan filmmaker Alrick Brown examines this dark page in his country's history in this drama. Kinyarwanda traces a handful of interconnected stories of both hatred and compassion amidst the bloodshed of 1994. As Hutus launch their massacre of the Tutsis, a powerful Muslim leader (Jean Mutsari) opens his mosque to those on either side who seek peaceful refuge. The Mufti is joined by a Catholic priest (Kennedy Mpazimpaka) who is being hunted down due to his Tutsi background. Two Rwandan soldiers (Cassandra Freeman and Kena Anae Onyenjekwe) bond as they try to keep order and help refugees as they discuss their feelings on the massacre. A young boy unwittingly invites the violence into his family's home as a young couple (Zaninka Hadidja and Marc Gwamaka) finds their mixed ethnic heritage puts them both at risk. And one Hutu insurgent (Edouard Bamporiki) is in time forced to answer for his violent actions. Kinyarwanda was an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.