From Huye to Musanze, Kigali to Rwamagana, audiences in Rwanda were treated to movies that inspired, awed, frightened and delighted. The ninth annual Rwanda Film Festival kicked off last week, both in Kigali and in the countryside. The seven-days of screenings included documentaries, dramas, and comedies, as well as both feature-length and short films.

With the theme "Our Mothers, Our Heroes" this year's festival focused on the role of women in film, both in front of and behind the camera. Women directed over 65% of the 42 films in the festival, while many of the remaining films feature female protagonists. Festival Director Romeo Umulisa explained why this year's theme was chosen: "Attention is not centered on women in cinema, and that discourages young women from entering the field. We looked at all the inspiring achievements of Rwandan women, and we wanted to bring the same sense of determination to the film industry, both in Rwanda and all across Africa."

This year's Festival is in partnership with the Dortmund/Cologne International Women's Film Festival in Germany, bringing ten female-directed German films to Kigali. As part of the collaboration, filmmakers from Germany led a 6-day workshop for young Rwandan girls who aspire to work in the film industry.

The opening film, a documentary titled "Mama Africa", chronicled the life of the late Miriam Makeba, the world-famous South African singer and activist. The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, as well as the South African Ambassador to Rwanda, attended the screening and gave remarks.

During the week, films were screened in seven different locations around the city, including Papyrus Restaurant, The Office (Kiyovu), Club Rafiki (Nyamirambo), Kigali Public Library, Kimisagara, Gisozi Genocide Memorial, and the new Century Cinemas. With the exception of Century Cinemas, where film tickets cost 2,500 Rwf each, screenings in all other locations were free to the public.

Eric Kabera, President of Kwetu Film Institute in Gaculiro and original founder of the Film Festival, explained the festival's approach: "Each year is a challenge, getting people to know what a film festival is. So the idea is to take the films to the people. What separates us from other festivals is that we screen in restaurants, bars, offices, etcetera."

While a good concept, the Festival was not without its problems. Scheduled films at Papyrus and Club Rafiki were late, or in some cases did not show at all. Umulisa said that while some mistakes are inevitable, they are doing all they can to improve upon things for next year. "We recognize that things were put together a bit late, and it showed, and we apologize. With more funding, our team could have been here organizing on the ground earlier. I'm already starting to contact potential sponsors for next year, giving us much more time to plan. We can make decisions based on what we know we have, not what we think we have, as we had to this year. Every mistake, I write down for next year. They are all lessons"

The minor snags did not stop moviegoers from coming out in large numbers. Some of the favorites were "Nairobi Half-Life", "War Witch" and the Rwanda-centered documentary "Finding Hillywood".

"Finding Hillywood" follows the early years of the Rwanda Film Festival and documents the country's budding film industry. The film centers on Ayuub Kasasa Mago, a critical organizer in the early years of the Festival and a successful Rwandan filmmaker. Ayuub eloquently tells the story of his mother's death in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, and stands as a stunning example of art's healing power.

Following the Festival as it travels around the country, the film shows the hard work and dedication of the organizers. The team, led by Ayuub, faces challenge after challenge, from relentless rainstorms, to lack of electricity, and more.

But despite the challenges, and with a huge, inflatable screen, Ayuub and his crew bring cinema to the hills, exposing people who had never before seen a movie to Rwandan made films. Watching a movie in Kinyarwanda for the first time opens the eyes of many viewers, who had never before thought it was possible to produce a film in Rwanda, by Rwandans.

Director and producer Leah Warshaski was present at the film's Kigali premier at The Office in Kiyovu on Tuesday evening for a question and answer session. "We're really excited to be here at this festival. We've been dreaming about having our film show here since we started [making the film] six years ago."

In addition to the documentary, Warshaski, in conjunction with the New York-based non-profit Bpeace, has also recently started a website for Rwandans in the film industry to connect with professionals outside the country. "One of our main goals was to help people find work, not just to train them." She hopes that her website, www.rwandafilm.org, will be an invaluable networking tool for many of the filmmakers she has met in Rwanda. She also hope it will attract more foreign filmmakers to Rwanda.

Outside of Kigali, the Festival team traveled to Rwamagana, Huye, and Musanze, bringing with them films written, produced, and made in Rwanda, by Rwandans. Since its establishment, the Festival has stood out for its efforts to bring film to people in some of the most rural parts of Rwanda. In past years, only Rwandan-made films were shown in the countryside, but this year, they made an exception to that rule by showing Warshaski's film on the large inflatable screen.

However, the number of rural locations dropped from seven towns in previous years, to only three towns this year, despite the fact that the festival now has five inflatable screens, not just one. Umulisa regrets they had to downsize the rural area program, but promises to have at least five rural locations next year.

Already, Umulisa has big plans for 2014's festival. By encouraging filmmakers now, he hopes to have 20 Rwandan made films to show next year. He is also tossing around new and innovative ideas and locations. He hopes to come up with "new ideas for enjoying cinema", pushing the boundaries of what has been done before in order to bring films to the people.