Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Director:

Terry George

Writers (WGA):

Keir Pearson (written by) &
Terry George (written by)

Release Date:

4 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Thriller | War

Tagline:

A true story of a man who fought impossible odds to save everyone he could and created a place where hope survived.

Plot:

The true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda.

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Corpse | Female Nudity | Nurse | Para

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 29 nominations

Cast

Xolani Mali	...	Policeman
Don Cheadle	...	Paul Rusesabagina
Desmond Dube	...	Dube
Hakeem Kae-Kazim	...	George Rutaganda
Tony Kgoroge	...	Gregoire
Rosie Motene	...	Receptionist
Neil McCarthy	...	Jean Jacques
Mabutho 'Kid' Sithole	...	Head Chef (as Kid Sithole)
Nick Nolte	...	Colonel Oliver
Fana Mokoena	...	General Bizimungu
Jeremiah Ndlovu	...	Old Guard
Sophie Okonedo	...	Tatiana Rusesabagina
Lebo Mashile	...	Odette
Antonio David Lyons	...	Thomas Mirama
Leleti Khumalo	...	Fedens

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 on appeal for violence, disturbing images and brief strong language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

UK | USA | Italy | South Africa

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hungary:14 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Brazil:14 | Malaysia:18PL (DVD) | Argentina:13 | South Korea:12 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating on appeal) (certificate #41018) | USA:R (original rating) | New Zealand:M | Philippines:R-13

Filming Locations:

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

The screenwriter spent one year writing the first draft of the script. During the process, he called the Rwandan embassy in DC. The woman who picked up the phone was a survivor who stayed at the Milles Collines Hotel.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Paul goes to the Hotel Diplomat to get the scotch for the Rwandan general the bottles of Glenfiddich are rounded off. The rounded off style of bottles are a newer design, the ones in 1994 would have come to a point.

Quotes:

[first lines]
George Rutaganda: [voiceover] When people ask me, good listeners, why do I hate all the Tutsi, I say, "Read our history." The Tutsi were collaborators for the Belgian colonists, they stole our Hutu land, they whipped us. Now they have come back, these Tutsi rebels. They are cockroaches...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Comedy Central Presents: Ted Alexandro: 2 (#10.7)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Mama Ararira

so powerful and amazing

I have never been so touched by a movie. It was the hardest movie I have ever sat through but also the best. it's so easy to ignore human rights abuses if they are not happening to you or your family, but just because you ignore it, they are still happening. i hope this movie receives the praise it deserves. i am frustrated because nothing i can type can represent how powerful this movie is or how much it moved me. i can't comment on the amazing acting or cinematography or directing because the movie transported me. i did not think about the making of the movie but rather sat shocked and horrified and nauseated and inspired. there was the red cross agent. there were heroes and while human nature perverts and the thin veil of culture unravels, there is still good. i have to look at the good of the heroes in the movie and of the people that wrote the movie, and realize that going to the movies doesn't have to be about escapism. it can be about reality. this is a must-see, not because it will make you laugh but because it will make you think and feel.