“When the world closed its eyes, he opened his arms…”

FROM VACANCY TO REFUGEE…

Hotel Rwanda is a 2004 docudrama film co-written and directed by Terry George. The film was adapted from a screenplay by George and Keir Pearson, and stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and his wife Tatiana. Hotel Rwanda is based on the Rwandan genocide, which occurred during the spring of 1994, the docudrama documents Rusesabagina‘s efforts to save the lives of his family and more than 1,000 other refugees by providing them with shelter in the besieged Hôtel des Mille Collines. Hotel Rwanda explores genocide, political corruption, and the repercussions of violence.

THE LITTLE MOVIE THAT COULD…

The film was a co-production between United Artists and Lionsgate Films, and was commercially distributed by United Artists theatrically and by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for home media. Hotel Rwanda premiered in theaters in limited release in the United States on December 22, 2004, and in wide release on February 4, 2004, grossing more than $23 million in domestic ticket sales. It earned an additional $10 million in business through international release to top out at a combined total of nearly $34 million in gross revenue.

The film was nominated for multiple awards, including Oscar nominations at the 77th Academy Awards for Best Actor (Cheadle), Best Supporting Actress (Okonedo), and Best Original Screenplay for Terry George and Keir Pearson.

Hotel Rwanda is Movies to History’s Featured Blog of the Month for March! This means you can expect a Critique that will look at the historical story of the Rwandan genocide, Paul Rusesabagina, and the Hôtel des Mille Collines. The Critique will also reflect on the what lead to the genocide in the Spring of 1994 and how accurately the film depicts the actual history of the atrocity in Rwanda. If you visit the Featured Blog for Hotel Rwanda, you can also read a Recommendation for Terry George’s 2004 docudrama. There will also be a critical synopsis Review of Hotel Rwanda that you can read, You can also watch an Interview with Don Cheadle where journalist Peter Bart for YouTube’s Retrospective channel show Movie Talk discusses his role in Hotel Rwanda, And as usual with Movie to History’s Featured Film Blog, you can also expect a Top Ten List to commemorate its place as a Featured Blog on this site, I have compiled my Top Ten Docudrama Movies for the Top Ten List this month! And lastly, you can also watch the 2004 Official Trailer for the Terry George film, Hotel Rwanda in the Featured Blog of the Month section on this blog!

You can watch the 2004 Official Trailer for Hotel Rwanda below: