Rwanda Film Festival (Hillywood)
Rwanda's most important film festival, held annually in Kigali and touring to rural areas via its unique mobile cinema program, celebrating Rwandan and African cinema and using film as a tool of reconciliation and development.
Overview
The Rwanda Film Festival, informally known as Hillywood, is Rwanda's most important film festival and one of Africa's most distinctive. Founded in 2005 in Kigali, the festival combines urban screenings with a remarkable mobile cinema program that brings films to rural communities across Rwanda using portable outdoor screening equipment.
The festival was founded in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, with an explicit mission of using cinema as a tool of national reconciliation, healing, and development. Films are selected for their ability to promote dialogue, empathy, and shared humanity -- values that carry particular weight in post-genocide Rwanda.
The mobile cinema component, which projects films onto inflatable screens in rural villages, reaches audiences who would otherwise have no access to cinema. This approach has influenced mobile cinema programs across Africa.
Key Sections
- Feature Film Program -- films addressing reconciliation and human dignity
- African Cinema Showcase -- films from across Africa
- Rwandan Film Showcase -- new Rwandan productions
- Mobile Cinema Tour -- screenings in rural communities across Rwanda
- Filmmaking Workshops -- training for Rwandan filmmakers
What Filmmakers Should Know
The festival programs films with explicit attention to their potential for promoting dialogue and reconciliation. Films with strong humanistic content and social engagement are particularly welcome. The mobile cinema component means selected films reach unusually broad and geographically diverse audiences.
Major Awards
- Best Film -- jury prize
- Best Rwandan Film
- Audience Award -- across both urban and mobile screenings
Festival History
Rwanda Film Festival was founded in 2005, eleven years after the genocide, as part of Rwanda's extraordinary cultural reconstruction. The mobile cinema innovation has made it one of Africa's most influential festival models.
See Also
For East African cinema, see International Film Markets. For community cinema, see Film Festival Strategy.
