Iseta: Behind the Roadblock

Film Synopsis

Iseta: Behind the Roadblock
Director: Juan Reina
Country: Kenya
Year: 2008
Duration: 55 minutes
Print source: Rwanda Cinema Centre
 

A man is on his knees, filmed from a distance, he appears to be pleading for his life, his arms are raised in the air in a gesture of supplication. He is brutally murdered. In April 1994 cameraman Nick Hughes filmed a series of murders at what would become the start of the slaughter of one-million people: the genocide in Rwanda. This film follows Hughes as he returns to the scene of the original crime, to the community and to those survivors of the slaughter. Now, back in Rwanda, Hughes shows the footage to people, who relive the events of the dark days, identifying both victims and killers, recalling the horror and despair of the genocide. An evocative and harrowing film, the closing scenes of Iseta: Behind the Roadblock will remain with the viewer long after the film has ended.
 
For anybody interested not just in the politics of Rwanda and the fifteenth commemoration of the genocide, but also in the power of images as history and their ability to genuinely affect emotion, Iseta: Behind the Roadblock is an essential film.
 
The screening will be introduced by Dr Michael Broderick, Associate Professor, Media, Communication and Culture, Murdoch University.
 
Australian Premiere