Hotel Rwanda
All actors and roles (10)
All team (80)
Short description
Hotel Rwanda is a historical drama set in Kigali in 1994, during the genocide in which Hutu extremists killed more than a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus within months. Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu, manages a prestigious hotel in the Rwandan capital and is married to Tatiana, a Tutsi. As the violence spreads, Paul at first concentrates on keeping his own family alive, using his professional position and the contacts it gives him. He then opens the hotel to those fleeing the killings, and the building becomes a refuge for more than a thousand people. Protecting them means negotiating with, bribing and pressuring the military men and militia leaders who control the streets outside.
The film was directed by Terry George, who wrote the screenplay with Keir Pearson and produced it with A. Kitman Ho. It was his first film as director; he later made Reservation Road and The Promise. Don Cheadle plays Paul, with Sophie Okonedo as Tatiana, Nick Nolte as Colonel Oliver, Fana Mokoena as General Bizimungu, Desmond Dube as Dube and Hakeem Kae-Kazim as George Rutaganda. It was a co-production of the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States and South Africa, made for about 18 million dollars and taking roughly 34 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 8.1 from some 391,000 votes and on TMDB 7.7 from over three thousand, while critics gave it 8.3 from 188 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- In 2005, Paul Rusesabagina, whose story formed the basis for the script, received the highest US award – the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Terry George always envisioned Don Cheadle in the lead role. During pre-production, producers wanted to cast Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, Mekhi Phifer, and even Will Smith, because a well-known name would guarantee box office success. However, after securing independent funding, Terry George remained true to his choice.
- The character of Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte) is based on Roméo Dallaire, a UN Lieutenant General who attempted to intervene in the events in Rwanda despite direct orders from his superiors. He was the main subject of the documentary film 'Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire'.
- Screenwriter Keir Pearson worked on the first draft of the script for over a year. While working on the text, he called the Rwandan Embassy in the United States. The woman who answered the phone at the embassy turned out to be a Tutsi who survived by hiding in the Hôtel des Mille Collines.
- There is a moment in the film where the radio broadcasts that refugees on a bus will be taken to Congo, clearly referring to the modern Democratic Republic of Congo, but at that time (1994) it was still called Zaire.
- Filming took place from January 3 to March 3, 2004.
- Paul and Tatiana Rusesabagina accompanied the director to Rwanda during filming. At the airport, they were met by a large crowd of people saved by Paul, their friends, and relatives. Paul Rusesabagina met with Don Cheadle, helping him work on the character.
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