The Pardon
“The Pardon” screens at 3:30 p.m., Monday, May 27, at the Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center, 400 S. Second St., in downtown Renton. Tickets are available at online at siff.net.
Here’s the film’s description from the Seattle International Film Festival.
Manzi and Karemera are best friends who seem inseparable but as ethnic tensions rise in 1994 Rwanda, the forces of history and violence tear them apart. After the death of the president, the country is plunged into an ethnic civil war and Manzi finds his Hutu heritage stronger than his relationship to his Tutsi friend. Karemera’s family pays the ultimate price, scarring Karemera for life with the memory of his family’s murders. 15 years later, Manzi is released from prison and returns to the town to pick up the pieces of his life but Karemera still holds a grudge and believes Manzi should still be punished more for his role in the genocide. Rwandan filmmaker, Joel Karekezi, has crafted a beautiful film that reflects the horror of past genocide but advocates for reconciliation and a brighter future in the next generation. The strong central performances from Wilson Egessa and Okuyo Joel Atiku Prynce bridge the film’s seeming narrative simplicity to a deeper emotional catharsis. As a survivor himself, Karekezi offers audiences a unique connection to the tragic events as well as an opportunity to search within for the forgiveness society needs to heal and flourish. Director: Joel Karekezi. Cast: Wilson Egessa, Okuyo Joel Atiku Prynce, Rehema Nanfuka, Rwanda 2013 (73 minutes)
