Event

Munyurangabo

(Lee Isaac Chung, Rwanda, 2008, 35mm, 97 min)

Set in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, Lee Isaac Chung's impressive debut feature, Munyurangabo is story of two young men -- one a Tutsi, the other a Hutu -- trying to create futures by putting their pasts behind them. For Munyurangabo, this means seeking justice for his parents, who were killed during the fighting. For his friend Sangwa, resolution might come once he's able to revisit the lands he fled so long before. But Sangwa's parents are scared of the intentions of their sons companion -- after all, "Hutus and Tutsi are supposed to be enemies." Chung, a Korean-American, traveled to Rwanda with a small crew and a nine-page script outline. Working with the cast, he completed his script with their real experiences. The result is fresh, immediate and utterly authentic.

"Like a bolt out of the blue, Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung achieves an astonishing and thoroughly masterful debut. This is, flat-out, the discovery of this year's 'Un Certain Regard' batch." --Variety