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.

Directed by Terry George, Written by Keir Pearson, and Terry George, Produced by Terry George, and A. Kitman Ho, Starring: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte, with Cinematography by Robert Fraisse, and Edited by Naomi Geraghty, with Music by Afro Celt Sound System, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Andrea Guerra, Production companies: United Artists, Lions Gate Films, Miracle Pictures, Seamus, The Industrial Development Corporation, Inside Track, Endgame Entertainment, and Distributed by MGM Distribution Co. (United States), Entertainment Film Distributors (United Kingdom), and Mikado Film (Italy) (2004)

Director Terry George arrives at the 3rd Annual Celebration of Artistic Freedom Honoring actor Martin Sheen and writer/director Tony George ("Hotel Rwanda") at Ago Restaurant. Photo Credit: Paul Mounce/Corbis via Getty Images

Keir Pearson, nominee Best Original Screenplay for "Hotel Rwanda" Photo Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Don Cheadle as Paul Rusesabagina in "Hotel Rwanda" (2004) Photo Credit: © 2004 United Artists. All rights reserved.

Sophie Okonedo as Tatiana Rusesabagina in "Hotel Rwanda" (2004) Photo Credit: © 2004 United Artists. All rights reserved.

Paul Rusesabagina and Tatiana Rusesabagina during 2004 Toronto International Film Festival for "Hotel Rwanda" Portraits at Intercontinental in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo Credit: J. Vespa/WireImage

Photographs of victims on display at the Kigali Memorial for Victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide on June 22, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales has attended five of the 24 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting meetings held since 1971: Edinburgh in 1997, Uganda in 2007, Sri Lanka in 2013 (representing The Queen), Malta in 2015 and the UK in 2018. It was during the UK CHOGM that it was formally announced that The Prince would succeed The Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. Leaders of Commonwealth countries meet every two years for the meeting which is hosted by a different member country on a rotating basis. Photo Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Paul Rusesabagina - who is the hotel manager who single-handedly saved thousands of lives during the genocide in Rwanda. His role is immortalised in the film 'Hotel Rwanda'. Thursday 24th August 2006. Pictured during a visit to The Edinburgh International Book Festival. Edinburgh, UNESCO Inaugural City of Literature, Thursday 24th August 2006. Job : 16313 Ref: LHN Photo Credit: Lewis J Houghton/Avalon/Getty Images

The Hôtel des Mille Collines (French pronunciation: [otɛl de mil kɔlin]) (English: Hotel of the Thousand Hills) is a large hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. It became famous after 1,268 people took refuge inside the building during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The story of the hotel and its manager at that time, Paul Rusesabagina, was later used as the basis of Terry George's film Hotel Rwanda in 2004. Photo Credit: Alamy Images

Don Cheadle, Desmond Dube, Harriet Lenabe, Rosie Motene, and Eugene Khumbanyiwa in "Hotel Rwanda"(2004) Photo Credit: © 2005 MGM. All Rights Reserved.

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.

Don Cheadle (R) and real life inspiration for the film Paul Rusesabagina (L) and his wife Tatiana Rusesabagina attend the premiere of the United Artists film "Rwanda" December 2, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. Photo Credit: Carlo Allegri/Getty Images

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.

A general view at the 77th Academy Awards Nominations at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on January 25, 2005 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Adrien Brody and Frank Pierson during The 77th Annual Academy Awards - Nomination Announcements at Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, United States. Photo Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc

Adrien Brody and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Frank Pierson announce Best Actor Award at the 77th Academy Awards Nominations at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on January 25, 2005 in Beverly Hills, California. Best Actor of the Year include Don Cheadle in "Hotel Rwanda", Johnny Depp in "Finding Neverland", Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Aviator", Clint Eastwood in "Million Dollar Baby" and Jamie Foxx in "Ray". Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Adrien Brody and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Frank Pierson announce Achievement in Writing Award, Original Screenplay, at the 77th Academy Awards Nominations at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on January 25, 2005 in Beverly Hills, California. Best Writing nominees include John Logan for "The Aviator", Charlie Kaufman for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", Keir Pearson and Terry George for "Hotel Rwanda", Brad Bird for "The Incredibles" and Mike Leigh for "Vera Drake". Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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!