Hotel Rwanda: Bringing The True Story Of An African Hero To Film (Shooting Script) - Softcover

George, Terry; Pearson, Keir

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1557046700 ISBN 13: 9781557046703

Publisher: Dey Street Books, 2005

Synopsis

The official companion book, edited by director Terry George, including essays on the history of the genocide, the complete screenplay written by Keir Pearson & Terry George, and more than 70 photographs.

A Story That Had to Be Told: In 1994, as his country descended into madness, Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager of a Belgian-owned luxury hotel in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, used cunning and courage to save 1,268 people from certain death while the rest of the world closed its eyes. His real-life story inspired the Oscar^®-nominated writer of In the Name of the Father, Terry George, to make the extraordinary film, Hotel Rwanda, starring Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, and Nick Nolte, which has received accolades from critics and moviegoers alike, winning numerous awards.

Now, in the only official companion book, comes the fascinating filmmaking story, with first-person pieces by Terry George and co-screenwriter Keir Pearson about their three-year struggle to gain support and financing, as well as a brief history of Rwanda with details on the actual events portrayed in the movie.

Illustrated with more than 70 historical and contemporary photos and movie stills, the book also includes journalist Nicola Graydon's report on joining Paul Rusesabagina when he first returned to Rwanda on the tenth anniversary of the genocide; writer Anne Thompson's personal journal of her visit to the set in Africa during production in February 2004; and a compelling transcript of the PBS Frontline documentary revealing the afterthoughts of officials who chose not to listen to the cries for help. In addition there is a timeline of the crisis, a further reading and viewing list, and the complete screenplay.

About this title

About the Author

Terry George, Hotel Rwanda director/producer and co-writer with Keir Pearson, received Academy Award^® and BAFTA nominations for his first produced screenplay, In the Name of the Father. Later he adapted and directed the acclaimed HBO movie based on Neil Sheehan's Pulitzer Prize-winning tale, A Bright Shining Lie, nominated for Emmy^® and Golden Globe awards. George's other writing credits include The Boxer and Hart's War. He also created and produced the acclaimed original CBS-TV series The District. George lives in Ireland and New York.

From the Back Cover

The official companion book, edited by director Terry George, including essays on the history of the genocide, the complete screenplay written by Keir Pearson & Terry George, and more than 70 photographs.

A Story That Had to Be Told: In 1994, as his country descended into madness, Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager of a Belgian-owned luxury hotel in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, used cunning and courage to save 1,268 people from certain death while the rest of the world closed its eyes. His real-life story inspired the Oscar^®-nominated writer of In the Name of the Father, Terry George, to make the extraordinary film, Hotel Rwanda, starring Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, and Nick Nolte, which has received accolades from critics and moviegoers alike, winning numerous awards.

Now, in the only official companion book, comes the fascinating filmmaking story, with first-person pieces by Terry George and co-screenwriter Keir Pearson about their three-year struggle to gain support and financing, as well as a brief history of Rwanda with details on the actual events portrayed in the movie.

Illustrated with more than 70 historical and contemporary photos and movie stills, the book also includes journalist Nicola Graydon's report on joining Paul Rusesabagina when he first returned to Rwanda on the tenth anniversary of the genocide; writer Anne Thompson's personal journal of her visit to the set in Africa during production in February 2004; and a compelling transcript of the PBS Frontline documentary revealing the afterthoughts of officials who chose not to listen to the cries for help. In addition there is a timeline of the crisis, a further reading and viewing list, and the complete screenplay.

Reviews

In 1994, Rwanda endured a genocide of about 800,000 people, mostly minority Tutsi slaughtered by machete-wielding Hutu, the country's majority. During the three months of killing, Paul Rusesabagina, now often called the Rwandan Schindler, sheltered and saved more than 1,200 people in the hotel he managed in the capital city of Kigali. Hotel Rwanda is of course the acclaimed film about Rusesabagina, played by Don Cheadle; George is the film's director, and in this powerful volume he marshals writings by himself and others that provide context and commentary on both the movie and the holocaust that prompted it. The book most notably includes the screenplay of Hotel Rwanda by Keir Pearson and George, an inspiring and devastating script. Of only slightly less emotional impact is the transcript of "The Triumph of Evil," a Frontline/PBS documentary about the genocide and the West's (and the U.N.'s) neglect of it--among the commentators is Philip Gourevitch, whose We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families helped bring the genocide to global attention. Pieces by Pearson and George explain their involvement in the project (it all began in 1999 when a novelist friend of Pearson's told him Rusesabagina's story), followed by two journalists' accounts (by Brit Nicola Graydon and Hollywood reporter Anne Thompson) of Rusesabinga and the movie; a "history" section explains Rwanda's past. Also included is a list of books, Web and other resources. George writes in an epigraph, "For the dead of Murambi. I will never forget." This important book will inspire others to take the same vow. (Feb.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Dey Street Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1557046700
• ISBN 13: 9781557046703
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256