“Screening of the film In Rwanda We Say…The Family That Does Not Speak, Dies”
Director Anne Aghion came to Bard on the tenth anniversary of the unleashing of the genocide in Rwanda, to show her brand-new film In Rwanda We Say…The Family That Does Not Speak, Dies. For years, Aghion traveled to rural Rwanda to chart the progress and impact of the ethnic reconciliation programs there.
The film is an important, intimate and fascinating examination of how, and whether, people can overcome fear, hatred and deep emotional scars after genocide, to forge a common future. In Rwanda we Say… focuses on the release of one suspect, tracking the effect of his return on a tiny hillside hamlet. While the government’s message of a united Rwandan family permeates the language of the community, the imposed co-existence brings forth varying emotions, from numb acceptance to repressed rage. Violence seems to lurk just below the surface. What unfolds, however, is astonishing. Little by little, people begin to talk in a profound, articulate way – first to the camera, and then to each other – as these neighbors negotiate the emotional task of accepting life side by side.
Comments Closed