Rwandan Filmmakers Introduces "Hillywood" in the Seven Districts

This year, diligent organizers of the third annual Rwandan Film Festival introduced "Hillywood," a traveling film festival showing movies on inflatable screens in the seven Rwandan districts.

It is 13 years after the genocide, in the green rolling hills of Rwanda, and there is only one movie theater in the country. It's located in Kigali, the country's capital. Despite this limitation, big screens were set up under starry skies and at times, heavy rains in the seven providences to reach those who are untouched by mass media.

"Most Rwandans don't even have access to television or any medium of the mass media," says Eric Kabera, the festival's organizer.

Hillywood, created on a shoestring budget, was conceived by a group of Rwandan filmmakers, many whom started out working with foreign productions. With an international audience about the 1994 Rwandan genocide from such films as Sometimes in April, and Hotel Rwanda, native filmmakers are building upon the country's momentum to get their stories - their very own stories told.

According to BBC News reporter Abby d'Arcy Hughes, many children inspired by the showing, eager to find out how to get camera training, can tell you that they like films like Rambo and actors like Jackie Chan. However, despite the interest in foreign cinema, native film culture has failed to take off. Film festival organizers are hoping to make a significant change.

After watching one film titled, Hey Mr. DJ!, about an arrogant young DJ who discovers he's HIV positive, Hillywood attendee, Agnes Niyokizerwa, told Hughes, "It was very exciting. This was the first time I saw a film in our local language, Kinyarwanda. This is really important for the people who don't speak another language."

If local exposure and interest in filmmaking continues to build, the people of Rwanda, especially those directly affected by the horrors of the 1994 genocide would be able to heal in a way they hadn't before. Those who lost so much in 1994, wouldn't have to feign forgiveness and recovery through government and religious pressures, as they reportedly had to in the past, but possess the freedom to express endless roads to recovery.

Filmmaker, Gilbert Ndahayo, whose film titled, Behind This Convent, was screened in Kigali, where his parents and sister were killed in the genocide, said, "The making of this film was a really hard thing to do. But I used it to try to heal myself."

Rwandans would also have the opportunity to provoke thought and serious objective dialogue if the film subjects address the pressing topics that truly affect the country. Just like in the top billed festival film Hey Mr. DJ! The taboo of HIV/AIDS could be creatively addressed and conscious preventive measures could be taken to prevent the spread of the disease.