The premiere of the documentary Rwanda Rising has been selected to open the 15th annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF), recognized globally as America’s leading Black film festival.
The star-studded event will be held Thursday, February 8 at the Directors Guild of America with among others, producer Ambassador Andrew Young and acclaimed filmmaker and actor, PAFF’s Celebrity Host Forest Whitaker, in attendance.

In Rwanda Rising, Young, a former United Nations Ambassador, Civil Rights leader and top aide to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. documented the amazing transformation taking place in Rwanda today, including the country’s remarkable story of reconciliation despite the 1994 Genocide.

Each year the PAFF presents over one hundred (100) quality films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada, all showcasing the diversity and complexity of people of African descent.
‘15 years into the Pan African Film and Arts Festival and we continue to showcase the important stories of our brothers and sisters on the Continent,’ Festival Director Ayuko Babu is quoted as saying, adding: ‘Having Rwanda Rising open this year’s festival is keeping in that tradition while making sure that we stay connected to our roots in Africa’.

And, according to a release, Ambassador Young believes Rwanda’s experience provides hope for other seemingly hopeless situations around the world. ‘Somehow, the people of Rwanda have learned to forgive the unforgivable. By all appearances, they not only are coexisting, but actually living and working together to rebuild their country as a model of economic prosperity for the rest of Africa’ the release states in part.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who is friends with Young, also appears in the film and is quoted saying: “I wish that we could have some of that spirit in the Middle East.” Clinton adds: “I wish we could have some of that spirit in other places where there are conflicts that people just can’t let go of.”
Other key interviews include President Paul Kagame, composer and producer Quincy Jones, and World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz.
The PAFF gala attracts an audience of over 40,000 people to the films and over 150,000 attendees to the arts show.