"Grey Matter," a feature film writer and Director Kivu Ruhorahoza, represents the first film of the Festival du Film de Tribeca of Rwanda by a filmmaker Rwanda. The film, which has its world premiere on 21 April, blends fantasy and reality in his portrait of the suite of the genocide in Rwanda as seen through the eyes of a Director, novice of the difficulty to make a movie called "The Cycle of the cockroach." Mr. Ruhorahoza, 28, recently spoke to fighting Arts of the inspiration for the film and its title, how Flaubert and Norman Mailer triggered his interest to tell stories and why he chose a cinema over the practice of law. It excerpts of that conversation.
Stephen Holden discusses the narrative and documentary films, he is most looking forward to watching.
How come "grey matter"?
I wanted to start with a short story of two brothers and sisters who are experiencing trauma. Then I wrote another story about a madman who may have been involved in the murder of the parents of these brothers and sisters. It has become a very long history. It was really, really experimental and not easy to understand. I tried to raise funds. It is really frustrating. He had some elements of my own life. I suffered to tell the story. Then why not write on me for telling the story? I wrote the part on a filmmaker who is not able to make a film that is so dear to his heart.
Do you have memories of the genocide of the Tutsis?
Yeah. I remember absolutely. I was eleven and a half years. I had taken the sentence in Kigali to visit my grandmother who was very sick. If all this happened in Kigali then across the country. When I finally speak to my family by telephone, I heard shots of fire and bombs in the background. I could hear voices panic on the phone. On the radio, they spoke of the thousands of bodies in the streets and people are killed, systematically. I started to worry all the time, in my mind of 11 years. I developed a sort of trauma. Do not talk to anyone. Crying without reason. He was then a few weeks, until I heard that it was false news, spread by certain people who wanted to help the family, so that the killers would stop their search. At the end of the genocide, when I returned to Kigali to find my family, they went through something, that I had not crossed. I didn't know how to talk to them. I didn't know how to ask them. It will probably be a difficult discussion between me and my family.
You said that the characters of the filmmaker and the man who becomes crazy in "grey matter" both contain elements of your own experience as a filmmaker and as someone who has filed a grievance for his family. What human sister, Justine?
I know that many Justines in Rwanda. I know that all these young, beautiful women who, after the genocide, had to do everything for their family. Above all, unfortunately, sleeping with people who could get their brothers and sisters in schools. Justine is one of those women who were to fight after the genocide, because there are so many men killed during the genocide. Women were left on their own. They deserve tremendous credit for the recovery of the country.
Cockroaches play a major role in your movie. The Tutsis have been called upon Hutus cockroaches?
They would go to the radio for 30 minutes, talk about cockroaches. If you were not aware of what were these cockroaches or which was the nickname for the Tutsis, you would ask what type of war that they spoke. They would talk contiguous cockroaches on the radio all the time, encouraging people to find and destroy them.
What kinds of films look like a boy?
Many Bollywood movies and American films on the war of the Viet Nam. And Chuck Norris types of film and Sylvester Stallone.
Your love of reading, however, is what triggered your interest first to tell stories?
In 1994, just after the genocide, all houses were opened, they had been looted. My brother once was only walking and found these open days and these boxes of books, and he, who was really lucky for me. There is so many landmines outside it would be dangerous even walk in the neighbourhood. Therefore, I would stay at home and just read and read and read. The individual who drew my attention was "Madame Bovary", "of the hangman Song" by Norman Mailer, "the picture of Dorian Gray". I just surprised by the power of evocation of situations. Of them, I started to write things really small, pathetic. And Voltaire. Two books of Voltaire.
But then you decided to become a Director?
We had about 10 television stations. that had never happened before Rwanda. Once, I pass through these new stations and found a film "name of the Christ", of C?te d'Ivoire. I had never seen such a thing. Then, I saw "The boredom." I said that I want to do this type of different film. Every time that I could find a good movie I would watch it and I started to think about going to the school of cinema. I ended up going to the Faculty of law, in Kigali. He was entitled, the economy or management. Those who were the three choices. Two years later, I just could not take and could not do.
You began to work for Eric Kabera, who founded the non-profit organization, the Centre of cinema in Rwanda?
He said for us to create a film culture. I helped him with his proposals, file its documents. I would see how it was done. And that's how I learned.
You also attended a master at the London Film School class and have been selected to participate in the Berlinale Talent Campus du Festival International du Film in Berlin. Which was as a young man from Rwanda?
I've adapted very quickly. I'm really lucky. I lose my family. I tried to take into account. So what happened to my country and my people, I don't want to be a handicap for me. There are people who have lost everything.
How does it feel to make the first film of Rwanda to be at the Tribeca Film festival?
All the credit goes to those who believed in me, the crew and the cast worked for little money. For a year and a half, the film was sitting in a computer. The editor gave me its editing facilities free of charge. Whenever I could get a job as a TV production I provided the money in the film. I continued sending DVDs of the rough cut. I sent one to Tribeca. It really is their interest that led me to complete the film. I am really happy.
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