Rwandan actress Isabelle Kabano has been named among the cast of a new ground-breaking film on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, particularly focussing on the massacres that happened in Bisesero, Western Province.
The feature film, dubbed "Bisesero: A Daughter's Story", will recount the little-known true story of the Bisesero Resistance, in which tens of thousands of Tutsi, led by an elder called Aminadabu Birara (played by Ojo), bravely fought off Hutu attackers.
The movie, which has been dubbed as one that will bring out the true reality of the Genocide against the Tutsi - will be written and directed and by Nigerian director Ema Edosio-Deelen with award-winning Rwandan director, and screenwriter Joël Karekezi, playing a role as a co-writer.
The film is set to be produced by Emmy Award winning producer Richard Hall, whose documentary "The 600: The Soldiers' Story", about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, is on Amazon Prime.
The production is being billed as the first major feature about the tragic events in Rwanda in 1994 to be told exclusively about and by Africans.
In the movie, Kabano will play Evaliana, Epiphanie's mother, Birara's wife along with Ugandan actress Tracy Kababiito, who will play Epiphanie, the lead character and Birara's daughter. Wale Ojo from Nigeria will play Birara, the leader of the resistance.
Kabano is an award-winning actress, who emerged the best actress in the Angoulême film festival, in Spain, Francophone category, and has also been on juries of two film festivals - Angoulême in France and film de Bruxelles un Sénégal. That was in 2022.
She is best known for her role as the mother in French director Eric Barbier's 2020 "Small Country: An African Childhood", based on the experiences of French-Rwandan singer and author Gaël Faye, and the ending of his previously carefree existence due to the outbreak of the violence.
Kabano has also featured in films like "Shake Hands with the Devil", "Opération Turquoise", "Sometimes in April", and "Petit Pays."
Yvette Rugasaguhunga, the co-producer of the film, told The New Times that during the production of the "The 600: A Soldier's Story" documentary, the team was inspired by the unique story of resistance demonstrated in Bisesero during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.
"When we explored the story further, we learned that there are virtually no visual records and far fewer survivors. That is why we decided to do a feature film based on multi interviews with survivours like Birara's children, including Epiphanie and Marcel among others," she said.
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"We began modestly, using our own funds, and have started to receive some grants and investment. In order to enter production, we are looking for more financial support in a form of investment and grants. We are also looking for distributors," Rugasaguhunga added.
"We are aiming to enter production for early 2024 in hopes of releasing the film for #Kwibuka30," Rugasaguhunga said.
The current team comprises Richard Hall, from the USA who is the executive producer along with Joel Karekezi, who doubles as a co-writer. Ema Edisio Deelen, from Nigeria is the co-writer director.
Karekezi made waves in 2018 with drama "The Mercy Of The Jungle", about two young soldiers who accidently stray into the hostile Congolese jungle. The drama won the Golden Stallion for best film at major African film festival FESPACO.
"We believe this important film heralds the new era of the emerging African film industry making films aimed at and crossing over into the worldwide film audience," Ann Nguyen, President of Slated, said of Bisesero: A Daughter's Story.
Pan-African filmmaking has been in the global spotlight as the continent sees a boom in production and increased attention from global streamers including Netflix and Prime Video, which have enjoyed recent regional and international success with Nigeria dramas The Black Book and Gangs of Lagos respectively.
