Movies About Genocide in Africa

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April marks the start of some of the most horrific genocides, including Rwanda, Cambodia, Armenia, and the Anfal campaign against Kurds. It also marks the end of others, like the liberation of Auschwitz, which is why the month has been deemed Genocide Awareness Month.

The United States has played a pivotal role in many of these unfortunate and deadly moments in history. However, history books can only cover so much, and each country has a different history to tell depending on their role in the genocide.

Here's a look at some films and documentaries that shed light on genocides in Africa and other parts of the world:

Films About the Rwandan Genocide

Here is a filmography for films and artistry on the graphic, theatrical and conventional, documental portrayal of the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsis in 1994.

  • 100 Days (2001): Shot in Kibuye, Rwanda, this film tells the story of a Hutu priest who colluded with the Tutsi. Key scenes were shot at a church where mass killings occurred.
  • Hotel Rwanda (2004):

    Hotel de Mille Collines: A Bastion of Humanity in the Rwandan Genocide

    Dramatic feature film about Paul Rusesabagina, a Kigali hotelier, and the events around the Hôtel des Mille Collines, a sanctuary for Tutsi and moderate Hutu.
  • Shooting Dogs (called Beyond the Gates in the US) (2005): A priest (John Hurt) and a teacher (Hugh Dancy) get caught up in the Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
  • Sometimes in April (2005): A powerful dramatization of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, focusing on the lives of ordinary people caught up in the violence.
  • Shake Hands with the Devil (2007): Documentary film directed by Peter Raymont.
  • Munyurangabo (2007): An orphan of the Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 travels from Kigali to the countryside on a quest for justice.
  • Kinyarwanda (2011): The dramatic feature tells the story of hope, redemption and religious tolerance in the midst of the Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.

Other films include:

Read also: Faith-Based Movies

  • A Sunday in Kigali (2006)
  • Waramutsého! (2008)
  • Birds Are Singing in Kigali (2017)
  • 94 Terror (2018)
  • Black Earth Rising (2018)

Documentary films on the Rwandan Genocide:

  • Journey into Darkness (1994): Documentary film shot within Rwanda throughout the genocide, by the journalist Fergal Keane.
  • A Culture of Murder (1994): Documentary film on the Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, and the plight of its refugees, by the journalist Steve Bradshaw.
  • The Bloody Tricolor (1995): Documentary film on the involvement of France in Rwanda prior to the Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, by the journalist Steve Bradshaw.
  • Rwanda, how history can lead to genocide (1995)
  • Chronicle of a Genocide Foretold (1996): Documentary detailing the background and events leading to the Rwandan Genocide, the genocide itself, and its immediate aftermath.
  • Valentina's Story (1997): Documentary film on the story of Valentina, a survivor of the Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, by the journalist Fergal Keane.
  • When Good Men Do Nothing (1997): Documentary film on the failure of the UN, and the west, by the journalist Steve Bradshaw.
  • Triumph of Evil (1998): Documentary film on the failure of the UN, and the west, an adaption, originally by the journalist Steve Bradshaw.
  • L'Afrique en morceaux (2000)
  • Umurage (2002)
  • Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire (2004)
  • Keepers of Memory (2004)
  • Ghosts of Rwanda (2005): Documentary film directed by the PBS.
  • Exploring Rwanda and Darfur (2006): TV Documentary directed by the PBS.
  • Flowers of Rwanda (2008): Documentary film directed by David Muñoz.
  • Intended Consequences (2008)
  • Flower in the Gun Barrel (2009)
  • A Generation After Genocide (2010): Documentary film follows three orphaned youth of different classes, gender and ethnicity who are all connected by soccer.
  • Burden of My Heart (2011): A poetic documentary film about the lives of the survivors and the ways of remembering in Rwanda 16 years after the genocide.
  • Duhozanye: A Rwandan Village of Widows (2011)
  • If Only We Had Listened (2011)
  • The 600: A Soldiers' Story (2019): Documentary film on the little-known story of a surrounded battalion at the Kigali Parliament building that started the counterattack to end the Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, by producer Richard Hall.
  • Somebody's Child: The Redemption of Rwanda(2005): Documentary film on survival and the aftermath of the genocide, Directed by Felicia Middlebrooks.

Films About Other Genocides

  • Screamers (2006): Documentary by director Carla Garapedian. The documentary examines the repeating pattern of genocide, from the Armenian genocide, to the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, up to Darfur today.
  • Sometimes in April (2005): This film depicts the horrors of the genocide from multiple perspectives, illustrating both the overwhelming cruelty of the Hutu extremists and the resilience of survivors.
  • Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire (2004): This documentary follows Romeo Dallaire, the Canadian peacekeeper who led the UN mission during the Rwandan genocide.

Other Films and Documentaries

  • The Book Thief: While subjected to the horrors of World War II Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. In the basement of her home, a Jewish refugee is being protected by her adoptive parents.
  • Nuremberg: Fictionalized depiction of the 1947 Judges' Trial, the third of 12 trials of Nazi war criminals conducted by the American occupying forces in Nuremberg, Germany, in which former judges of Nazi Germany were tried for their actions.

Lisa Jackson ventures into remote villages in war-torn Congo to investigate sexual violence against women.

At a stunning nine and a half hours, this documentary, through interviews with survivors and perpetrators, tells the details World War II and the Holocaust.

This documentary explores post-apartheid South Africa’s attempts to heal after 40 years of racial segregation.

This documentary follows two American men who live in a refugee camp for a month.

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This film looks at the Bosnian War and the ethnic cleansing that occurred during the 1990s. It follows the personal stories of survivors and the deep trauma caused by the violence.

This documentary looks at the Khmer Rouge regime and the devastating genocide in Cambodia. Through interviews with survivors and experts, the film examines the ideology and political motives behind the regime’s brutal actions, which led to the deaths of millions.

This documentary exposes the horrific exploitation and genocide of the Congolese people under King Leopold II’s rule in the Congo Free State. Through archival footage and historical analysis, the film chronicles the brutal tactics used to extract rubber and other resources, including forced labor, mutilations, and mass killings.

This film adapts Brown's book into a dramatic portrayal of the events leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre, focusing on the US government's betrayal of Native Americans. It provides a harrowing look at the destruction of Native American cultures and the brutality of the US Army in its quest to quell resistance.

This documentary explores the long history of the Kurdish people and the genocide they’ve suffered at the hands of various Middle Eastern governments, especially Iraq under Saddam Hussein. It focuses on the 1988 Anfal campaign, where tens of thousands of Kurds were killed or displaced.

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I recommend this documentary because it offers a view of some of the perpetrators of murder in Indonesia in 1965 and 1966.

This documentary includes interviews with key government officials and witnesses to the genocide.

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tags: #Africa