In April 1994, violence broke out in the African country of Rwanda that would result in more than 800,000 deaths — the majority of victims from the Tutsi ethnic group — in a span of three months. During what is now officially known as “The Genocide Against the Tutsi”, a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina provided a shelter for refugees in the Hotel des Mille Collines. What allegedly took place within the walls of the hotel was depicted in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda and passed as fact. Rusesabagina’s character in the film projected the real man into the public spotlight and he was instantly hailed a hero, but many of the more than 1,000 refugees who sought a safe haven at the hotel have publicly denounced the film and exposed Rusesbagina as a fraud. So, what really happened at Hotel Rwanda?
BenBella is excited to announce the acquisition of Inside Hotel Rwanda: What Really Happened at Hotel des Mille Collines, a thought-provoking and riveting memoir that provides a closer look at the profiteering hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina and exposes how Hollywood got him all wrong. Former refugee and survivor Edouward Kayihura and writer Kerry Zukus have teamed up to tell Kayihura’s personal story, as well as the tales of others who sought relief at the Hotel des Mille Collines. Look for the book in April 2013.
Hotel Rwanda Movie Trailer — 2004