The official companion book, edited by director terry george, includin. One such unfortunate is fisherman solomon vandy djimon hounsou, from shenge. Apr 11, 2005 hotel rwanda is a harrowing film, the rare exercise of its kind that succeeds in conveying human tragedy on a scale both vast and intimate. There is a lot of violence and blood diamond is certainly not for children.
All the cast are in top form, as evil stares them in the face and being mere mortals they blink. What hollywood tells us about war and poverty world news. Kayihura tells of his life in a divided society and his journey. Blood diamond is set in 1999 in sierra leone where a fierce civil war has killed thousands of innocent civilians and driven more than a million people out of their homes and villages and into refugee camps. The story is captivating and builds to an emotional ending. I would like to thank the authors of the book inside the hotel rwanda. Located in kwazulu natal, there are several tours and resorts located in this region. If you like blood diamond you might like similar movies body of lies, the pursuit of happyness, gangs of new york, the aviator, cast away.
But the films good message is drowned out by the many bad ones. The hollywood film blood diamond edward zwick, 2006 and the nigerian film ezra newton i. Movies like blood diamond, hotel rwanda etc yahoo answers. In addition to the subtle approach, hotel rwanda, like blood diamond, has been. After the belgian conquest, the rwandans were split into two ethnicgroups. Lessons learned from hotel rwanda steve dale pet world. A film like blood diamond, setting aside its problems, brings a big audience to the story of sierra leones civil war. Rebel factions such as the revolutionary united front frequently terrorize the open countryside, intimidating mende locals and enslaving many to harvest diamonds, which fund their increasingly successful war effort. Terry george could have chosen to make a documentary about what happened but instead he focused on the story of paul rusesabagina, manager at the belgianowned mille collines hotel in the capital, kigali. Most of us take the nice, soft life we live for granted. Port edward, the location used in blood diamond is not quite as popular as cape town but it looks just as lovely. We all know movies like last king of scotland with leonardo di caprio, blood diamond, hotel rwanda, the english patient, the constant gardener, goodbye bafana, and evergreen classics out of africa and gorillas in the mist.
This film based on the memoir shooting dogs is, like hotel rwanda or blood diamond, one of the best takes on the tribulations of africa, specifically on the rwandan mass murders of 1994. Here are some i think might be good films for you in either style or content. Our frivolous attachment to the worlds most expensive gem fuels violence in desperate and impoverished african countries like sierra. The movies i like the most watching are the ones with strong themes, whether they are political or about social trends, so you wont be surprised to learn. Human rights through film amnesty international uk. This rwandan genocide story is also a gutwrenching must. The invisible trauma of waraffected children psychology today. Jul 14, 2008 hotel rwanda tells the true story of one mans courage in the midst of this genocide. Summer 2015 course descriptions portland state university. While the rest of the world closed its eyes, paul opened his heart and proved that one good man can make a difference. Blood diamond original motion picture soundtrack please retry amazon music unlimited. Hotel rwanda, the film about the genocide, is cited as an example of a.
I watched blood diamond last night, another good one to lift up your spirits. Films like hotel rwanda fail to give full context wbez. The happy prince 2018, spotlight 2015, trumbo 2015, the theory of everything 2014, mr. Aduaka, 2007 deal with a similar subject matter the consequences of civil war on the people of sierra leone as a result of conflict surrounding the diamond trade. After seeing hotel rwanda, i wondered, if the human species arent going to be any more than a little blip in time in the earths history. Ive read the book that they based hotel rwanda, and ive seen blood diamond, i like the book better than the movie. In all, the melodies in this soundtrack deliver a powerful mix of both. And nothing communicates really, really hot like a bleached out colour. Lord of war is a 2005 american crime drama film written, produced, and directed by andrew niccol, and coproduced by and starring nicolas cage the film was released in the united states on september 16, 2005, with a dvd release following on january 17, 2006 and bluray release on july 27, 2006 cage plays an illegal arms dealer, inspired by the stories of several reallife arms dealers and. Ten years ago, as his country descended into madness, paul rusesabagina don cheadle, a hotel manager in rwanda, used cunning and courage to save 1,200 people from certain death, while the rest of the world closed its eyes. Goodreads members who liked hotel rwanda also liked. Sep 04, 20 a film like blood diamond, setting aside its problems, brings a big audience to the story of sierra leones civil war. A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.
In recent years, hollywood has produced films dubbed human rights films, like hotel rwanda 2004, the constant gardener 2005, blood diamond 2006, and catch a fire 2006. Paul lives in rwanda with his wife and their three children. Blood diamonds also called conflict diamonds, brown diamonds, hot diamonds, or red diamonds are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading armys war efforts, or a warlords activity. An ordinary man is probably the most insightful of all books ive read on the. Gak bisa bayangin bagaimana bertahan dalam situasi perang seperti itu, menyelamatkan diri sendiri saja sudah apalagi membawa begitu banyak anak adopsi. It is 1999 and the troubled west african nation of sierra leone is ravaged by major political unrest. Like it or not, these insects are, if nothing else, are biological success stories. The man is named paul rusesabagina, and he is played by don cheadle as a man of quiet, steady competence in a time of chaos. Hotel rwanda tackles one of the most horrifically ugly events in recent history, when the hutu extremists of rwanda initiated a terrifying campaign of genocide, massacring hundreds of thousands of minority tutsis who had been given power by the departed belgian colonists, while the rest of the world looked on and did nothing. In a new book titled, inside the hotel rwanda, a genocide survivor, edouard kayihura, recounts how rusesabaginas selfportrayal as a real life superman is nothing but a folly that digs holes into the memory of genocide survivors, especially those who maintained refuge. Are the massacres shown in blood diamond and hotel rwanda. The 2004 film hotel rwanda recounts the efforts of hotelier paul rusesabagina to save his family and others during the 1994 genocide in the central african nation of rwanda.
Inspired by movies and books like hotel rwanda and blood diamond. It was adapted from a screenplay cowritten by george and keir pearson, and stars don cheadle and sophie okonedo as hotelier paul rusesabagina and his wife tatiana. There is also a book out called the heartless stone, by the author of the book that became hotel rwanda. There is one major problem however, paul is a hutu, his wife tatiana is a tutsi. The hawaii five0 2010 episode kalele revolves around the smuggling of conflict diamonds. Robin hood 2018, birth of the dragon 2017, the last legion 2007, overlord 2018, a walk among the tombstones 2014. Based on the rwandan genocide, which occurred during the spring of 1994, the film documents rusesabaginas efforts to. Jul 17, 2015 the stories in blood diamond and hotel rwanda are based on actual events. While it does good work by bringing the lingering problem of african conflict diamonds back into the news, the movie itself is ungainly and retro, using white characters to illuminate the problem while also simplifying it. A film like blood diamond, setting aside its problems, brings a big. The magnitude of the horror outside the hotel compound. Each and every one is either a blood thirsty mindless killer and pillager or a childlike noble savage and feeble victim.
Hotel rwanda is a 2004 drama film directed by terry george. Sprawling, massive, and silent libraries housing secret clues in books. Hotelrwanda black hawk down the year of living dangerously in the name of the father absolutely stunning f. If you were morally caught up in syriana and hotel rwanda, this is another movie that you wont want to miss. Films like hotel rwanda fail to give full context wbez chicago. It combines action, drama and romance with a heart wrenching look at violence in africa.
Blood diamond original motion picture soundtrack by. Out of so many hotels in rwanda we can help you book the perfect hotel room, whether its a deal on a cheap hotel in rwanda for a long stay or multiple hotels for a trip across rwanda, we have a range of hotel to suit every individual need from the top 5star hotels in rwanda to hotels with a swimming pool, free breakfast and gym. Positive blood diamond is a powerful film, and the best picture i have seen in 2006. Human rights through film resources to accompany film screenings of slumdog millionaire, blood diamond, the kite runner, hotel rwanda, boy in the striped pyjamas, good and persepolis including.
I love blood diamond and hotel rwanda so i was just wondering if there are any other movies like them. Blood diamond is a 2006 germanamerican political war thriller film coproduced and directed by edward zwick, starring leonardo dicaprio, jennifer connelly and djimon hounsou. Dec 08, 2006 blood diamond works best when it puts its social message on the back burner and cuts to the interlinking machinations of sidebar characters like the colonel, archers merc protege the always. There was no logical reason for monstrous carnage in rwanda. The reallife story of a hotel owner taking a stand to save hundreds in the midst of a massive genocide. Hollywood depicts africans poorly in blood diamond.
The diamond industry is worried about the movie, which will be backed up by publicity and a. Hotel rwanda is an excruciatinglytruthful and harsh docudrama addressing the rwandan genocide in 1994. It is the story of a hotel manager who saved the lives of 1,200 people by being, essentially, a very good hotel manager. The other big issue the diamond trade was grappling with is the leonardo dicaprio movie the blood diamond. First and foremost i would like to thank god who has taken me this far and.
The surprising true story and why it matters today benbella books, edouard kayihura attempts to set the record straight. Most were slaughtered by the majority hutus, with machetes. On the heels of such films as the constant gardener, hotel rwanda, the last king of scotland, and catch a fire, we have blood diamond, set in sierra leone in. Paul rusesabagina, a manager at a belgianowned luxury hotel in kigali, rwanda s capital, is as skilled at pleasing the hotel s mostly white guests as he is at currying favor with the rwandan army officers who frequent the hotel bar and the local. I believe that i have a responsibility to not purchase conflict diamonds because i dont want to support the businesses that cause so much cruelty. Jun 02, 2012 i love blood diamond and hotel rwanda so i was just wondering if there are any other movies like them. The term is used to highlight the negative consequences of the diamond trade in certain areas, or to label an individual diamond as having come from such an area. This week we have the compromised blood diamond, in which leonardo. Beyond the gates, which was completed two years ago but kept out of circulation to avoid glutting the market with rwandan massacre films, is a gripping, terrifying, profoundly touching human. Do the emphases on human rights in the films offer a. The stories in blood diamond and hotel rwanda are based on actual events.
Dec 01, 2004 going back even further in time is the cockroach. Hotel rwanda i loved the movie my wife not so much. Recently, with films like hotel rwanda, blood diamond, the constant gardener, the last king of scotland and tears of the sun, hollywood has once again turned its attention to africa. A number of films after 1994, such as black hawk down, hotel rwanda, blood diamond, the last king of scotland, the constant gardener, shake hands with the devil, tears of the sun, and district 9, construct explicit and implicit arguments about the effects of western intervention in africa. This book has an appendix that includes the entire screenplay of the movie. Infiltrating and shutting down a blood diamond mine in equatorial guinea. The invisible trauma of waraffected children psychology. With leonardo dicaprio, djimon hounsou, jennifer connelly, kagiso kuypers. Paul risked his own life and that of his family to shelter tutsi.
Steve rose on the oscar potential of films with issues film the. I also have an sponsored child in uganda through compassion international and contribute to their hiv prevention and treatment fund. Blood diamonds is a thriller fiction book title by jon land, 2002. What are the movies similar to blood diamond 2006 movie. It tells us plenty about what happened in rwanda in 1994, a year in which ten percent of the nations population died, including most of the minority tutsi population. Edward zwick is a director who is not afraid to take risks and do stories that challenge us to take another look at the ethical choices we make in our lives. If a film doesnt excel in three areas dialog, acting, etc i will not rate it above a 7. Hotel rwanda tells the inspiring story of reallife hero paul rusesabagina don cheadle, a hotel manager in rwanda who used his courage and cunning to shelter over a thousand refugees from certain death. Blood diamonds are in relation to diamond trading, conflict diamond also called a converted diamond, blood diamond, hot diamond, or war diamond refers to a diamond mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, invading armys war efforts, or a warlords activity, usually in africa1 where around twothirds of the worlds diamonds are extracted. I like the book, like the movie i dont believe before that this is a true story, but after i read the book, very stranger and great story. His reallife story inspired terry george to make this powerful and dramatic film. The blood diamonds do really exist and paul rusesabagina, portrayed in hotel rwanda, is an actual person, former manager of hotel des milles collines, who saved many tutsis. Hotel rwanda is a 2004 historical drama film about the hotelier paul rusesabagina during the rwandan genocide of 1994. Apr 10, 2015 wow, hard to touch, it was nearly a flawless film.
But blood diamond, written by charles leavitt, from an idea that he. Hollywood films have included hotel rwanda, blood diamond, and machine gun preacher. The film, which has been called an african schindlers list, documents. We rarely stop to think about what its like in other parts of the world.
Dec 26, 2006 levia, i had a similar reaction to blood diamond. Readers who were moved and horrified by hotel rwanda will respond even more. Hotel rwanda is a powerful and moving film about the genocide in rwanda in 1994. Hotel rwanda is a more true to life drama film, and blood diamond tends to be a more typical hollywood flick. Nov 30, 2008 ive read the book that they based hotel rwanda, and ive seen blood diamond, i like the book better than the movie. Hotel rwanda the 2004 film hotel rwanda recounts the efforts of hotelier paul rusesabagina to save his family and others during the 1994 genocide in the central african nation of rwanda. Life here is nothing like it is in africa, where natives brutally kill and maim other natives with impunity and glee. There are a lot of western people who have written books, articles, films about the. A number of films after 1994, such as black hawk down, hotel rwanda, blood diamond, the last king of scotland, the constant gardener.
Dont be fooled by the black and white cinematography, it is a superb movie. In fact, i preferred this slightly to hotel rwanda. Find books like hotel rwanda from the worlds largest community of readers. Based on actual events of the rwandan genocide, this haunting film follows horrific events as seen through the eyes of paul rusesabagina. Heres an excerpt of what i thought about the movie from yesterdays blog entry. Critics are touting the movie blood diamond as a part of a growing genre of socially conscious hollywood productions.