by Peter Knegt
Why He’s On Our Radar: The first feature film from a Rwandan filmmaker—ever—Kivu Ruhorahoza’s “Grey Matter” won a warm response at the Tribeca Film Festival, winning both a special jury mention and a best actor prize for star Ramadhan “Shami” Bizimana. The film follows Balthazar (Bizimana), a young African filmmaker on the brink of directing his first project, “The Cycle of the Cockroach.” When potential funders for the film insist the themes are too bleak and encourage Balthazar to make a “message” film that raises awareness about gender-based violence or HIV/AIDS instead, he refuses to give up—even if it drives him to the edge. Ruhorahoza explained that “Matter” is a movie “about imagination and madness.” He simply wanted to show the lives and confusions of young Rwandese people struggling with trauma. “I wanted to show on screen that loss of sanity that so many of us in Rwanda have experienced,” he said...[continued]
Grey Matter @ Tribeca Film Festival
