MUMBAI: When a country descended into madness and the world turned its back, one man had to make a choice!!! This Friday night, Star Movies presents a true story of a man who fought impossible odds to save everyone he could and created a place where hope survived. Tune in to the Academy Award nominated blockbuster, Hotel Rwanda, starring Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo and Joaquin Phoenix, this Friday, February 16th at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies!
Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.
Nominated for three Oscar Awards, Hotel Rwanda is the story of Paul Rusesabagina's courage, which also captures the political events that occurred between April and September 1994. Cheadle gives a riveting performance as Rusesabagina, the manager of a European-owned hotel in Rwanda, who created a secret refugee camp for the Tutsi people during the brutal genocide committed against them by the Hutu people in 1994. His efforts helped to save 1200 lives out of close to a million who were killed.
Powerful acting from all cast members, including throngs of children, makes this film touching and believable. Sophie Okonedo offers moving support as Rusesabagina's wife Tatiana, Nick Nolte shows knowing machismo as an American UN officer, and Joaquin Phoenix turns in a heartfelt display as a TV journalist.
Did you know?
Because Hotel Rwanda was filmed mostly in South Africa, where road traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road, many of the vehicles are right-hand drive. Rwandans drive on the right side of the road, so the use of right-hand drive cars is incorrect for standard vehicles.
The mistake is most obvious in the scenes involving buses, which have passenger doors on the left -- in Rwanda, people using those buses would be stepping out into the middle of the road. However, some vehicles in Rwanda are right-hand drive.
On a magazine rack in the lobby of the hotel, there is a copy of Time magazine's 1992 Man of the Year with Bill Clinton on its cover.
So don't forget to tune in this Friday night at 9 p.m. for the exclusive premiere of 'Hotel Rwanda' only on Star Movies.
