{"id":55896,"date":"2025-10-09T15:21:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T15:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwandan-students-explore-african-independent-cinema-at-french-institute\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T14:55:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:55:30","slug":"rwandan-students-explore-african-independent-cinema-at-french-institute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwandan-students-explore-african-independent-cinema-at-french-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwandan students explore African independent cinema at French Institute"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cIt is already very rare to see an independent film, and even rarer to see an independent African one. So, we wanted to expose them to that,\u201d explains Scott Hillier, founder of the festival and partner of the French Institute.<\/p>\n<p>The students, from Green Hills Academy and the \u00c9cole Fran\u00e7aise Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry, participated in a contest aimed at developing their critical thinking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey had to judge a film based on its performance, the emotion it evoked, its aesthetics, and its story. This engaged them a lot, and they all voted for a film to award it a prize,\u201d Hillier adds.<\/p>\n<p>The festival also allowed the young audience to discover films from other international festivals curated by Hillier, offering a global panorama of independent cinema.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe presented African films, then films from the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe. Their reaction surprised me: they really enjoyed it and actively participated in the voting,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Among the films screened, Deja Nu from C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire and The Yellow Dress from Kenya particularly impressed Hillier, whom he describes as showcasing raw, emotional, and authentic storytelling talent.<\/p>\n<p>In total, 21 films are competing this year, across 14 categories, ranging from feature films to documentaries, student films, and experimental works. The festival also offers the Rwandan Film Students Special Award, allowing Rwandan students to screen their films on a big screen in front of an audience outside their school.<\/p>\n<p>Hillier emphasises the importance of promoting authentic stories. \u201cSeeing the amazed faces of young viewers reinforces this choice. We want to tell impactful stories that spark conversations, even if opinions are divided,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>The inaugural screening was initiated by the director of the French Institute in Rwanda, Ms. Lee Fou Messica, and organised in collaboration with Aim\u00e9e Umutoni Kabuguza, who convinced Scott Hillier to hold the first edition of the AAIFF in Rwanda rather than in Cape Town.<\/p>\n<p>In this school screening, the students\u2019 votes awarded Beyond The Ring, a South African documentary directed by Mari Geldenhuys and Malcolm Rainers, as the winner of their competition. Meanwhile, the main festival will officially kick off on Friday and run through Sunday, with the grand prize to be awarded during Sunday\u2019s closing ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>Among the young Rwandan talents present, M\u00e9thode Muhire, a film student at East African University Rwanda (EAUR), shared his journey: \u201cAt first, I knew nothing about cinema. After a brief course in video production and some experience in photography and videography, I decided to develop my skills at university. Today, I have made two short films, won two international awards, and am working on a new project called Fallout.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Hillier, Kigali proves to be an ideal location for the festival: \u201cThis is where it all happens. Rwandans have warmly welcomed the festival, and we hope to host even more participants this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the AAIFF is part of the Ecu Festival Group and continues to promote African independent cinema, giving a voice to a new generation of filmmakers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95861 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/ifr-fce47.jpg\" alt=\"The French Institute in Kigali, in partnership with the AAIFF, presented independent African films, offering Rwandan high school students a rare opportunity to discover the continent\u2019s cinema.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95862 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/ifr_2-c1466.jpg\" alt=\"The initiative was organized by the French Institute in Rwanda in partnership with Scott Hillier, the festival\u2019s founder and partner.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95860 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/ifr_4-98694.jpg\" alt=\"Scott Hillier emphasizes the importance of promoting authentic stories.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95859 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/ifr_3-72af3.jpg\" alt=\"Among the young Rwandan talents present was M\u00e9thode Muhire, a film student at East African University Rwanda (EAUR).\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95857 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/ifr_6-039a8.jpg\" alt=\"M\u00e9thode Muhire noted that he has already produced two short films and received two international awards.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-95858 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/ifr_5-9b2e1.jpg\" alt=\"Hillier considers Kigali an ideal venue for the festival.\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The French Institute in Kigali, in partnership with the All-African Independent Film Festival (AAIFF), organised a screening of African independent films for Rwandan high school students on Wednesday, October 8, providing them with a rare immersion into cinema created by artists from across the continent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000095863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-55896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default 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