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Amy Sailer
Nashville businesswoman and entrepreneur, Amy Sailer, was one of 2,200 entries selected for this year’s 2010 Nashville Film Festival. Seeing is Believing: The Inspiring Story of Rwanda, is one of the major films screening in the World Cinema category at the festival, April 15-22 at the Regal Green Hills Cinema. Sailer's film will premiere April 19 at 7:30 p.m. and show again on April 20 at 5:30 p.m. This film will be among the 220 films showing from 38 different countries. Sailer’s film will be in good company – showing amongst other films including Nowhere Boy, the U.K. film that brings to life John Lennon as a spirited teenager. That will be an excellent film, but out of the deep well of all these foreign and domestic films, Sailer’s shines the brightest.
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, There is a field…I’ll meet you there.”
~Rumi
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda's Tutsis and Hutu political moderates by the Hutu dominated government under the Hutu Power ideology. Over the course of approximately 100 days, or more, from the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana on April 6 through mid-July, at least 800,000 people were killed, according to the estimate of Human Rights Watch. Other estimates of the death toll have ranged between 500,000 and 1,000,000, or as much as 20% of the total population of the country.
But, this is not what the documentary, Seeing is Believing: The Inspiring Story of Rwanda is about. Only 16 years after the worst episode of genocide in recent history – Rwanda is a thriving country full of hope, promise and profound change. One of a series of Seeing is Believing documentaries from around the world of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, The Inspiring Story of Rwanda is produced and directed by Amy Sailer, a Nashville entrepreneur and video producer. Her goal is to produce documentaries that uplift and inspire people in their own everyday world. The Inspiring Story of Rwanda is Sailer’s vision, her voice, her handprint on a story that is extraordinary.
To put it simply, this film is wonderful. Uplifting. Survivor stories don’t get much more compelling than this. The Inspiring Story of Rwanda focuses on the love in this little country. This film brings images to life in a way that few other forms of media can. The documentary tells in vivid detail how Rwanda is moving toward the future by forgiving those of the past and embracing the love of life. They are becoming entrepreneurs, students and teachers to the world. Teachers who teach about forgiveness and the courage to live your life in the best possible way.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
~Mahatma Gandhi
Rwandans are accomplishing things no one outside the country could have predicted. Their goal was to heal their terrible wounds, bridge their tribal divides and lift themselves from a third world country that was 100% dependent on foreign aid, to a middle-income country - in one generation. They are half way there. Several Rwandans, as well as businesspeople from the U.K. and U.S. are featured in the documentary. Egide Rugiwizangoga, owner of Rwanda Mountain Safaris, is a genocide survivor who tells his story about the loss of his family. However, what is so extraordinary is that he doesn’t harbor resentment or hatred for those responsible for the genocide. Instead, he believes in forgiving them and is looking to the future for prosperity and happiness.
Bizab Abdul Egide Rugiwizangoga Meddy Saleh, Director of Photography
Bizab Abdul, a Rwandan, plus music producer on the film and owner of “The Future Production,” sets the tone and pace of the documentary with music comprised of Afrikaans. It is wonderful and provides the heartbeat of the film. Featured in the film, he talks about his hope for his country.
Dave Ormesher
At the personal invitation of the president of Rwanda, Western business people have been invited to partner with Rwandans to grow the country through their entrepreneurial efforts. One of these is Dave Ormesher, Chairman of the Board for Global Relief Development Partners (GRDP). He said that he didn't know what to expect when he went to Rwanda. All he knew was what he had seen in the movie, Hotel Rwanda, starring Don Cheadle, which focused mostly on the genocide. After going to Rwanda, Ormesher said that he saw "promise in pockets." The mission of GRDP is to inspire and strengthen promising entrepreneurs in emerging countries. They help high-potential entrepreneurial leaders achieve growth by giving them direct access to experienced entrepreneurs in North America, enabling them to tap into world-class leadership, professional, technical, and financial resources. Their current focus is to build creative partnerships between experienced entrepreneurs in the United States and established entrepreneurs in Rwanda.
"My interest is in the future, as I'm going to be spending the rest of my life there."
~Charles Kettering
Bishop John Rucyahana, author of The Bishop of Rwanda, is also featured in the film. He says, “You see, we have no time. You have to build with one hand and wipe a tear with another one. If you forgive, you’ll feel better. You’ll sleep better.”
The film is mosaic-esque in its very formation — born of fragments, snapshots, interviews with local and foreign businessmen, professionals and everyday people, which form a pointillist whole. The color palette of the video, shot by Rwandan Meddy Saleh, Director of Photography, is vibrant and lush with scenes that vary from gorillas playing in the wild to busy city streets to citizens laying fiber optic cable with plans to “become Africa’s high tech” hub.
Not only have the people there come together to rebuild a nation, but also the personal stories of forgiveness and reconciliation are beyond anything we've ever known. This powerful story is simultaneously a love letter to a courageous country and an eye-opener to the reality of Rwanda’s people. While some documentaries suffer from a detached air, such is not the case with this one. Sailer’s perceptive ability to tell the story of the soul of the Rwandans is what makes the film touching and unforgettable. This treasure of a film will surely survive the test of time. Go see it at the festival. Everyone.
The Inspiring Story of Rwanda is the first film in Amy Sailer's Seeing is Believing collection and was filmed entirely on location in Rwanda, where Sailer served as Executive Producer/Director. Sailer, president of SlyWind Productions, has been producing short inspirational videos including Call of Soul, Holy Ground, and Paradise for over 7 years, which have been screen throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia and have received critical acclaim. Her journeys have taken her across Europe, Canada, Asia and the U.S. Sailer, an accomplished musician and composer, also wrote the soundtracks for these films. She formed her production company as a venue to produce uplifting and inspiring programming for television and film.
Sheila Higgins
Also Producer and Editor on The Inspiring Story of Rwanda is Sheila Higgins, who has worked as a director, producer, editor and videographer with a passion for projects that shine a light on the human experience. Ms. Higgin's documentary experience includes Our Story about a little boy with cancer who had a dream to change the world, The Making of a Major League for FOX Sports Network, as well as the award-winning special, The Horse Whisperer.
For more information and to learn how to purchase tickets for the Nashville Film Festival, please visit them online at: www.NashvilleFilmFestival.org.
A promo of Seeing is Believing: The Inspiring Story of Rwanda can be seen on YouTube under its title. Also, visit the website: www.seeingisbelieving.tv.
For more movie and documentary reviews, please see my website at: www.MovieBlogByDonna.com
Comments
thank you for talking about the nashville film festival. i can't wait to see this film. i had not heard about it and it sounds like it will be super awesome.
i had the chance to see this at the nashvilel flm festival and it is awesome. the music is unbelievable and the story is really uplifting. i loved it.
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