A Sunday in Kigali (2006)

A Sunday in Kigali (original French title: Un dimanche à Kigali) is a 2006 Canadian feature film set during the Rwandan genocide. It is directed by Robert Favreau and based on the novel A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali by Gil Courtemanche.

Plot

Bernard Valcourt, a documentary filmmaker and journalist, sets off to Kigali to film a documentary about AIDS. He gets caught up in the turmoil of horrific events involving Hutus and Tutsis that tragically leads to genocide. During his stay at the Hôtel des Mille Collines, Valcourt falls in love with a beautiful, shy waitress named Gentille. Gentille serves drinks to the diplomats, officials, and Rwandan bourgeoisie who surround the hotel swimming pool every Sunday. While Valcourt's longing for Gentille increases, the country moves towards civil war, and the brutal violence of the Rwandan genocide separates them. A few months go by and Bernard returns to Rwanda, frantically seeking Gentille in the midst of the chaos. Most of the narrative unfolds in retrospect.

Release

A Sunday in Kigali grossed $1.1 million Canadian in Quebec in the fall of 2006, and was set for a 2006 September 23 release in English-speaking Canada.

Cast

Luc Picard as Bernard Valcourt

Fatou N'Diaye as Gentille

Vincent Bilodeau as Father Cardinal

Céline Bonnier as Élise

Geneviève Brouillette as Consule

Alice Isimbi

Fayolle Jean as Victor

Maka Kotto as Manu

Louise Laparé as Manu's Wife

Alexis Martin as Lamarre

Luck Mervil as Raphaël

Mireille Métellus as Agathe

Luc Proulx as Father Louis

Guy Thauvette as Lt. Roméo Dallaire

Erwin Weche as D.J. Rock

Léonce Ngabo as Maurice

Jean-Chris Banange as Odeste

Natacha Muziramakenga as Emerita

Eric Kabanda as Cyprien

Amélie Chérubin Soulières as Mathilde

Jean de la Paix Hategekimana as Cyprien's cousin

Valentin Utaruhijimana as Célestin

Johanna Ingabiré as Désirée

Aline Muhora as Georgina

Jean Mutsari as Jean Damascène

Diane Nyiraparasi as Berthe

Reception

Box office

Eight weeks into its release, Robert Favreau's Rwandan genocide drama is the first Quebecois film of 2006 to pass the CAN $1m benchmark at the local box office.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rate of 88% based on 59 reviews.

The sites' critical consensus reads, "A strident, well-meaning film that makes the mistake of doing all our thinking and feeling for us." Geoff Pevere give the film a 2 out of 4 rating, stating "here's something about the idea of weeping over a single love affair ... while hundreds of thousands are being slaughtered that verges on its own form of myopic irresponsibility." Writer for Variety Robert Koehler also gave it 2 out of 4 stars and said: "Pic is truly undone by a bizarre structure that constantly cuts between the timeframe before the 100-day massacre and the aftermath."

Accolades

Since its release, the film has been nominated for 42 festivals and awards.

Won

2006 Marrakech International Film Festival – Best Actress (Fatou N'Diaye)

2007 Genie Awards – Best Screenplay, Adapted (Robert Favreau, Gil Courtemanche)

2007 Jutra Awards 2007 – Best Sound (Claude La Haye, Hans Peter Strobl & Marie-Claude Gagné)

Nominated

2006 Marrakech International Film Festival - Golden Star (Robert Favreau)

2007 Genie Awards – Best Motion Picture (Lyse Lafontaine & Michael Mosca)

2007 Genie Awards – Best Achievement in Costume Design (Michèle Hamel)

2007 Genie Awards – Best Achievement in Direction (Robert Favreau)

2007 Genie Awards – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Luc Picard)

2007 Genie Awards – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Fatou N'Diaye)

2007 Genie Awards – Best Achievement in Overall Sound (Hans Peter Strobl, Jo Caron, Claude La Haye, Benoit Leduc, Bernard Gariépy Strobl)

2007 Genie Awards – Best Achievement in Sound Editing (Marie-Claude Gagné, Guy Francoeur, Claire Pochon, Jean-Philippe Savard)

2007 Jutra Awards 2007 – Best Film (Lyse Lafontaine & Michael Mosca)

More Festivals and Awards

Toronto International Film Festival (Canada): September 2006

Atlantic Film Festival (Canada): September 2006

Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival (Canada): September 2006

Vancouver International Film Festival (Canada): October 2006

Busan International Film Festival (South Korea): October 2006

Franzoesiche Filmtage, Tuebingen (Germany): November 2006

Festival des Films Francophone du Manitoba – Cinémental (Canada): November 2006

Festival International du Film Francophone de Tuebingen-Stuttgart (Germany): November 2006

Windsor International Film Festival (Canada): November 2006

Cape Town World Cinema Festival (South Africa): November 2006

Johannesburg Film Festival South Africa (South Africa): November 2006

Semaine du Cinéma Canadien (Senegal): November 2006

Festival du Québec à Paris (France): November 2006

Pan African Film Festival (USA): February 2007

Brazzaville Film Festival (Congo): 2007

Fédération des Francophones du Saskatoon (Canada): February 2007

Kalamazoo Francophone Film Festival (USA): March 2007

Maputo Film Festival (Mozambique): September 2007

Lusaka Film Festival (Zambia): November 2007

Alger Film Festival (Algeria): December 2007

Seattle Film Festival (USA): June/July 2007

Stony Brook Film Festival (USA): July 2007

Festival El Cine in Lima (Peru): August 2007

Les 25e Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois (Canada): February 2007

Bermuda International Film Festival (Bermuda): March 2007 – The 10th edition of the Bermuda International Film Festival came to a close when the French Canadian film "A Sunday in Kigali" won the Bacardi Limited Audience Choice Award.

Tiburon International Film Festival (USA): March 2007

Semaine de la Francophonie 2007, Boston Mars 2007 / Athènes Mars 2007 / New York Avril 2007

Phoenix Film Festival (USA): April 2007 – Peoples Choice & Best Feature Film

Kinshasa Film Festival (Congo): June 2007

FÉMI Festival International du Cinéma de la Guadeloupe (Guadeloupe): January 2007

References

External links

A Sunday in Kigali at IMDb