Sometimes In April
Encyclopedia
Sometimes in April is a 2005 historical drama
television film about the Rwandan Genocide
of 1994, written and directed by the Haiti
an filmmaker Raoul Peck
. The ensemble cast
includes Idris Elba
, Oris Erhuero
, Carole Karemera, and Debra Winger
.
, and Augustin Muganza, a captain in the Rwandan army (who was married to a Tutsi
woman, Jeanne, and had three children with her: Anne-Marie, Yves-André, and Marcus), who bear witness
to the killing of close to 800,000 people in 100 days while becoming divided by politics
and losing some of their own family. The film depicts the attitudes and circumstances leading up to the outbreak of brutal violence, the intertwining stories of people struggling to survive the genocide
, and the aftermath as the people try to find justice and reconciliation.
. Paul Bonerwitz is one of the speakers.
In contrast to Hotel Rwanda
, which was rated PG-13 and had most of the genocide violence subtly implied rather than explicitly shown, this film was noted for its more gruesome and graphic portrayal of the violence, which gave it a TV-MA rating.
Historical drama film
The historical drama is a film genre in which stories are based upon historical events and famous persons. Some historical dramas attempt to accurately portray a historical event or biography, to the degree that the available historical research will allow...
television film about the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
of 1994, written and directed by the Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an filmmaker Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck is an award-winning Haitian filmmaker, of both documentary and feature films, and a political activist. Briefly, in the 1990s, he was Haiti's Minister of Culture.-Biography:...
. The ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
includes Idris Elba
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
, Oris Erhuero
Oris Erhuero
Oris Erhuero is a British actor, producer, writer, and former fashion model. He is highly acclaimed for being the most photographed and publicized, international fashion runway and print model of his time era...
, Carole Karemera, and Debra Winger
Debra Winger
Mary Debra Winger is an American actress. Three-times an Oscar nominee, she received awards for acting in Terms of Endearment, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1983, and in A Dangerous Woman, for which she won the Tokyo International Film Festival...
.
Story
The story centers on two brothers: Honoré Butera, working for the tribalist Radio Télévision Libre des Mille CollinesRadio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines
Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines was a Rwandan radio station which broadcast from July 8, 1993 to July 31, 1994. It played a significant role during the April–July 1994 Rwandan Genocide....
, and Augustin Muganza, a captain in the Rwandan army (who was married to a Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
woman, Jeanne, and had three children with her: Anne-Marie, Yves-André, and Marcus), who bear witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
to the killing of close to 800,000 people in 100 days while becoming divided by politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and losing some of their own family. The film depicts the attitudes and circumstances leading up to the outbreak of brutal violence, the intertwining stories of people struggling to survive the genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, and the aftermath as the people try to find justice and reconciliation.
Cast
- Idris ElbaIdris ElbaIdrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
... Augustin Muganza - Oris ErhueroOris ErhueroOris Erhuero is a British actor, producer, writer, and former fashion model. He is highly acclaimed for being the most photographed and publicized, international fashion runway and print model of his time era...
... Honoré Butera - Carole Karemera ... Jeanne
- Debra WingerDebra WingerMary Debra Winger is an American actress. Three-times an Oscar nominee, she received awards for acting in Terms of Endearment, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1983, and in A Dangerous Woman, for which she won the Tokyo International Film Festival...
... Prudence BushnellPrudence BushnellPrudence Bushnell is an American diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Kenya and Guatemala. -Early life and career:... - Noah EmmerichNoah EmmerichNoah Nicholas Emmerich is an American film actor who first broke out in the film Beautiful Girls. He was later seen in movies like The Truman Show, Cop Land, Frequency, Love & Sex, Windtalkers, Miracle, Super 8 and Little Children.-Early life:Emmerich was born in New York City to a Jewish family,...
... Lionel Quaid - Pamela Nomvete ... Martine
- Fraser James ... Xavier
- Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga ... Col. Théoneste BagosoraThéoneste BagosoraColonel Théoneste Bagosora is a former Rwandan military officer. He is chiefly known for his key role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. And for that, he is sentenced to life imprisonment by the ICTR.-History and career:...
Discussions
Although this film originally aired on HBO, it was later broadcast by PBS and followed with a panel discussion by journalist Jeff GreenfieldJeff Greenfield
Jeff Greenfield is an American television journalist and author.-Biography:He was born in New York City to parents Benjamin and Helen. He grew up in Manhattan and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1960. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in...
. Paul Bonerwitz is one of the speakers.
In contrast to Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda is a 2004 American drama film directed by Terry George. It was adapted from a screenplay written by both George and Keir Pearson. Based on real life events which took place in Rwanda during the spring of 1994, the film stars Don Cheadle as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina, who attempts to...
, which was rated PG-13 and had most of the genocide violence subtly implied rather than explicitly shown, this film was noted for its more gruesome and graphic portrayal of the violence, which gave it a TV-MA rating.
See also
- Hotel RwandaHotel RwandaHotel Rwanda is a 2004 American drama film directed by Terry George. It was adapted from a screenplay written by both George and Keir Pearson. Based on real life events which took place in Rwanda during the spring of 1994, the film stars Don Cheadle as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina, who attempts to...
, a 2004 film dealing with the genocide that centers on the Hôtel des Mille CollinesHôtel des Mille CollinesThe Hôtel des Mille Collines is a large hotel in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. It became famous as the building in which more than a thousand people took refuge during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994...
, a location also seen in Sometimes in April. - Shake Hands with the Devil, a 2007 film based on the book of the same name recounting General Dallaire's harrowing personal journey during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and how the United Nations failed to heed Dallaire's urgent pleas for further assistance to halt the massacre
- Shooting DogsShooting DogsShooting Dogs, released in the United States as Beyond the Gates, is a 2005 film, directed by Michael Caton-Jones and starring John Hurt, Hugh Dancy and Claire-Hope Ashitey. It is based on the experiences of BBC news producer David Belton, who worked in Rwanda during the Rwandan Genocide...
, a 2005 film centered on the École Technique OfficielleEcole Technique OfficielleThe École Technique Officielle was a Salesian secondary school in Kigali, Rwanda. On April 11, 1994, during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, over 2,500 Rwandans abandoned by the UN, in the school in which they set up base to supervise the peace between the Hutu and Tutsi, were murdered by extremist...
in Kigali - Rwandan GenocideRwandan GenocideThe Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...