My Neighbor, My Killer

My Neighbor, My Killer (French: Mon voisin, mon tueur) is a 2009 French-American documentary film directed by Anne Aghion that focuses on the process of the Gacaca courts, a citizen-based justice system that was put into place in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. Filmed over ten years, it makes us reflect on how people can live together after such a traumatic experience. Through the story and the words of the inhabitants of a small rural community, we see survivors and killers learn how to coexist.

My Neighbor, My Killer
Film poster
Directed byAnne Aghion
Written byAnne Aghion
Produced byAnne Aghion
CinematographyJames Kakwerere
Linette Frewin
Claire Bailly du Bois
Mathieu Hagnery
Edited byNadia Ben Rachid
Production
company
Gacaca Productions
Release date
  • May 2009 (2009-05)
Running time
80 minutes
CountriesFrance
United States
LanguagesKinyarwanda with English and French subtitles

Critical reception and awards

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It was an Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival,[1] the winner of the Human Rights Watch's Nestor Almendros Prize[2] for courage in filmmaking, a nominee for the 2009 Gotham Best Documentary Award[3] and the winner of the best documentary at Montreal Black Festival. The film has been shown at film festivals and universities around the world, including in Rwanda. It is rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.[4]

My Neighbor, My Killer is the feature length based on the Gacaca Series, composed of three films that Anne Aghion made over the years in Rwanda, one of which - "In Rwanda We Say…The Family That Does Not Speak Dies"[5] - received an Emmy Award.

Festivals

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References

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  1. ^ "Festival de Cannes: My Neighbor, My Killer". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  2. ^ "Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2009". Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  3. ^ "Gotham Awards 2009". IMDB. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Rotten Tomatoes: My Neighbor,My Killer". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  5. ^ "News Emmy Awards - 26th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Award Nominee Press Release - PART B". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  6. ^ "My Neighbor, My Killer | Human Rights Watch Film Festival".
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