Directed by Lee Isaac Chung

Spare yet powerful, Lee Isaac Chung's Munyurangabo follows a young Tutsi on a journey to avenge the death of his father, who was killed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The film doesn't focus on the massacres themselves, but rather the quietly fraught memory of death and ethnic hate that hangs in the air several years later. Munyurangabo enlists the help of his Hutu friend Sangwa on his personal mission, but their bond is tested when they visit Sangwa's family who immediately disapprove of their friendship. This is not a film for those with short attention spans (expect some very long takes), but such a technique is necessary when depicting the aftermath of genocide with honesty and without the feeling that Rwanda is another cinematic pet cause for a Western filmmaker. Shot in the native Kinyarwanda language with nonprofessional actors, Munyurangabo proves that story - not flashy camera work - is essential above all else and that sometimes less is more when it comes to presenting grave subject matter. Special features include cast and crew written bios and trailers from distributor Film Movement.

- Sylvie Kim