Reel American History - Films

0:00:00 Tutsi Cockroaches: Black screen. Hutu Power Radio Broadcaster, George Rutugunda discusses the hatred felt towards the Tutsi people. Tutsis are referred to as â€œcockroachesâ€ that must be killed.
0:01:21 Paulâ€™s Style: A bustling Rwandan marketplace sets the scene in Kigali, Rwanda, 1994. Hotel assistant manager, Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu, picks up several imported cigars from the Kigali airport. He is driven by Dube, his hotel assistant. Paul tells him the cigar is worth more than money, as it gives him style when he is dealing with the wealthy.
0:03:06 Meeting George: Paul is driven through the countryside and stops to pick up supplies from George Rutugunda, a Hutu Rebel Leader. George and Paul discuss the fighting between the Hutus and Tutsis. George encourages Paul to stand behind his own people, yet Paul says his work at the hotel is more important than politics.
0:04:00 10 cent Machetes: As George and Paul are walking through Georgeâ€™s warehouse a large wooden crate falls to the ground and breaks open, exposing hundreds of machetes. As Dube, Paulâ€™s Tutsi employee, looks on in fear, George boasts of the inexpensive price of the machetes. He purchased them from China for ten cents.
0:04:40 Possible Genocide?: As Paul is returning to the Hotel, he and Dube are discussing the broadcast on the Hutu radio encouraging the death of the Tutsis.
0:05:00 Close Call: The two drive through a Hutu rally and are forced to stop because of the crowd. Several Hutus in the group recognize Dube as a Tutsi and begin yelling for his death. Paul calms them down by holding up his traditional Hutu shirt and shows them they are both supporters of their cause. They drive away.
0:06:00 First Glimpse of Hotel: Paul and Dube arrive at the hotel. The hotel is bustling with white Western visitors and Rwandan employees.
0:07:00 Welcoming the United Nations: The United Nations officer, Colonel Oliver, and General Bizimungu of the Rwandan army are sitting pool side discussing the impending peace accord between the Hutus and the Tutsis and the threat of the Interhuame Hutu rebels. Paul approaches and welcomes them.
0:07:50 Storing up Favors: Following what is apparently custom, Paul retrieves two bottles of scotch from a well stocked store room and asks an employee to place them in the Rwandan Generalâ€™s briefcase.
0:08:03 Paul is welcomed home: Paul leaves the hotel and is listening to radio announcements that call for the death of the Tutsis. He switches the frequency to a discussion on the United Nations sponsored peace accord. While driving, many people on the street recognize him and give their greetings. Paul is welcomed at home by his wife, Tatiana, who greets him with a kiss.
0:09:55 Army Arrives to Kill: At home, the Rusesabagina children are coloring inside, while the parents are talking in the next room. Roger, Paulâ€™s son, frantically enters the room to announce that there are soldiers outside. Paul goes outside to find soldiers from the Rwandan Army across the street abusing his neighbor. Screaming is heard, and the soldiers drag their neighbors out of the house and beat them on account of their assumed Tutsi identity. Tatiana follows him to the gate and also witnesses this abuse.
0:10:09 The First Abuse: Hutu fighters are beating Paulâ€™s neighbor, Victor. They have machetes in hand. As the neighborâ€™s wife looks on, they use their guns to beat him. Closing the gate, Paul whispers â€œThere is nothing we can do.â€
0:11:20 Favors Only for Family: In bed that same evening, Tatiana, Paulâ€™s wife, asks why the neighbor was killed. She begs Paul to use his contacts to help the neighbors. Yet, he tells her he can not, as he is saving his contacts to protect his own family.
0:12:28 The World Arrives: It is morning. Paul arrives at the hotel as journalists from all over the Western world are checking in for the upcoming signing of the United Nations brokered peace accord. He greets three white journalists and offers his services.
0:13:11 What is the Difference?: At the hotel bar, one of the Western journalists inquires to the actual differences between Hutus and Tutsis. It is explained to him by a Kigali journalist that there is no true difference beyond appearance. Hutus are described as â€œtaller and more elegant,â€ and the Tutsis have bigger noses. The western journalist tries to make sense of this difference and inquires to the identities of those around him.
0:14:22 Hutu Supplies: Immediately before the news conference, there is talk of the possibility that the Rwandan Army is supplying the Hutu rebels. The Hutus are said to have denied this claim.
0:14:58 A Toast for Peace: The news conference begins, and peace is toasted by the United Nations envoy amongst a room filled with journalists. Outside, the Rwandan General sarcastically speaks of the ideas of peace.
0:15:48 Tutsis Must Leave: On the evening after the press conference. Paul is having drinks with his brother-in-law, who urges him to leave Rwanda. There are rumors of impending mass murder of the Tutsis by the Hutus. When the radio broadcasts the words â€œcut the tall trees,â€ the Hutu rebels will attack. Paul dismisses these claims, reminding his brother-in-law of the United Nations presence in Rwanda.
0:17:27 A City that Will Burn with People who are Scared: As Paul drives home from the hotel, he sees many homes being burnt to the ground and the Rwandan Army all over the streets. He finds his home in complete darkness. The home seems empty, and using his flashlight he walks through looking for his wife. He finds her and thirty other people crammed into a small room.
0:19:19 President has been Killed: Pulling his wife aside, Paul is told by his wife that the Rwandan president has been killed and the Tutsis are terrified of possible slaughter at the hands of the Hutus. She can not get in touch with her brother. Paul reassures her that everything will be okay.
0:20:40 Rogerâ€™s Blood?: Paulâ€™s son, Roger, is noticed missing, and Paul goes outside to find him sitting in between trees covered in blood. Roger is rushed inside to find that the blood is not Rogerâ€™s but rather another victim's.
0:22:08 Start Cutting the Tall Trees: The radio broadcaster confirms the death of the Rwandan president and begins yelling to the Hutus to cut the tall trees.
0:23:14 Paulâ€™s First Questioning: The Rwandan Army arrives at Paulâ€™s home and demands his identification. It is labeled Hutu, and, given this, neither Paul nor his Tutsi friends are killed. The army wants access to the Diplomat Hotel, Paulâ€™s place of former employment. He agrees to let them in only if he can bring everyone who was with him at his home.
0:25:00 Death on the Roads: On the drive to the Diplomat Hotel, dead bodies are seen all over the streets. Shots are being fired, Hutus are running all over the place. (26:17) Upon arriving at the hotel, Paul opens the safe and puts money in his pocket. Gunshots followed by screams are heard. Paul runs outside.
0:26:58 An Unfair Trade: The Rwandan General has discovered that those who were with Paul were, in fact, Tutsis. He demands that Paul shoot them. His Tutsi neighbors: children, adults, and infants stare into Paulâ€™s eyes. He offers the general money to release everyone. The general agrees to one hundred thousand francs. To get the money, the group must go to The Hotel Colline. (30:00) Paul and the General exchange francs for prisoners upon arriving at the Hotel Colline. The Tutsis thank Paul.
0:30:57 Paul is in Charge: The manager of the Hotel Colline leaves Rwanda to escape the imminent mass murders and places Paul in charge of the hotel. Paul puts those he brought to the hotel into a suite. Without luck (32:23), Paul and his wife attempt to reach her brother on the phone.
0:32:34 The West Will Only Save the West: Radio announcement is heard informing Westerners who are in Rwanda that their governments are doing everything in their power to evacuate them.
0:33:13 Gregoireâ€™s Threat: Upon hearing his employee Gregoire is sleeping in the hotelâ€™s presidential suite, Paul approaches him. Gregoire, who is a Hutu, threatens Paul with the fact that Paul is hiding â€œcockroaches,â€ or Tutsis.
0:34:40 First 10 Orphans: Red Cross worker shows up at the hotel with a van filled with ten Tutsi children. The children are young and many are stained with blood. She tells Paul that they are all orphansâ€"their parents were killed in front of them. Paul agrees to take them, and she tells him that she is going to have to bring more over.
0:36:10 Bathe Them, Feed Them, and Put Them to Bed: Paul and his wife Tatiana are sitting on a bed talking about the praise that those Paul saved are offering him. He tells Tatiana that everything will soon be over. Paul suddenly remembers that he took in ten orphans and runs to find them. (37:00) He walks into a dark room, and ten children are sitting on the floor, silently. He calls his employee and asks her to take care of them: Bathe them, feed them, and put them to bed.
0:37:38 They Can Not Intervene: Paul is speaking to the United Nations Peace envoy and asking for help. The UN representative refuses. He tells Paul that the United Nations are peace keepers, not peace makers. He can not intervene. (38:04) Several Western journalists are arguing whether or not they should go outside the gates of the hotel and get footage. The news anchor refuses, but the cameraman goes out against his bossâ€™s orders. (38:27) Paul and the United Nations envoy are speaking, and Paul pleads to him to take the children to the refugee camp. The envoy says there is no more room at the camp.
0:38:58 Get Back to Work: The kitchen staff is listening to the radio as Paul enters the kitchen. The broadcaster is calling for more murders and Paul begins to scold his employees to turn off the radio and get back to work.
0:39:38 Sabinaâ€™s First Call: Paul calls the directors of Sabina Hotel in Belgium, who own the Hotel Colline. Paul reassures him that everything is fine in Rwanda and asks him for a letter to the employees supporting him as the manager. When the director asks whether or not they should shut the hotel down, Paul refuses, calling the hotel an oasis of calm.
0:40:51 Leave Now or Work: Paul has a staff meeting and tells those who do not want to work for him to leave. Using the letter from Belgium, Paul reminds the staff that he is in charge.
0:41:28 A Ploy to Intimidate: Paul goes into the hotel room of a Western journalist to repair an air conditioner. The news is on the television. The television is telling the world that the murders are simply ploys by the Rwandan Army and the Hutus to intimidate the West and thereby cause a troop pull-out.
0:42:15 Slaughter for the Evening News: The journalist who left the hotel earlier to get footage returns to the hotel room. He was able to secure video of live murders. He plays the video, and on the television the slaughter of Tutsis is seen. The Hutus are using machetes and are cutting off heads. The journalist calls his stations and ask if the footage will be able to make the evening news.
0:43:24 The World doesnâ€™t care: Later that same evening, the journalists are eating dinner and Paul approaches. The journalist apologizes for showing him that footage, but Paul thanks him. He tells him that the world will now see what was happening and will be forced to intervene. The journalist tells Paul that those in the West will watch it on televisions, say it is terrible, and the continue eating dinner.
0:44:20 The Hutus Killed A UN Peacekeeper: There is trouble at the hotel gates. Everyone is running and screaming. The Hutus have surrounded the entire hotel. The Hutus are on the back of trucks dressed as clowns and are all carrying machetes. They throw a blood-stained United Nations helmet at the United Nations peace keepers who are ordered to not shoot. The United Nations can not intervene, even if one of their men has been murdered. The Hutus drive off and leave the gates of the hotel.
0:45:42 Finally, an Intervention Force: Col. Oliver (UN envoy) tells Paul that the Europeans are putting together an intervention force and nothing could be done to protect the hotel until that happens.
0:46:10 The Baby Promises Not to Be a Tutsi: The woman from the Red Cross comes to the hotel and tells Paul that she made it to his brother-in-lawâ€™s home. While she could not find him or his wife, she was able to locate their two young daughters. The two children were with an older lady across the street from where their parents were killed. She then describes the horror that she has witnessed. The Hutus made her watch the killing of a little girl. The girl screamed for her lifeâ€"promising that she would not be a Tutsi anymore.
0:48:14 The Force Has Arrived: The European Intervention force arrives at the hotel to the cheers of both Westerners and Rwandans. Paul sees Col. Oliver yelling at the General in charge of the intervention force. Col. Oliver walks inside and is followed by Paul.
0:49:22 No Rwandans May Leave: Paul and Col. Oliver are speaking at the hotel bar. Paul congratulates the Colonel, who tells him that there is no need for congratulations as the force is not going to stop the slaughters. They were only there to pick up the Westerners.
0:50:52 Three Hundred Peacekeepers for all Rwanda: Later that evening in a hotel room, Paul is speaking to Tatiana. He tells her that the whites are going to be evacuated and the intervention force is leaving everyone else behind. They have been abandoned. Paul is angry at himself for being so hospitable to the whites for so many years. He feels naÃ¯ve and duped. The United Nations is leaving a mere 300 peacekeepers in the entire country.
0:52:47 They are Not Here to Help Us: The evacuation of the West begins. On the radio, the United States and the British are calling for the removal of all United Nations personnel. All of the Westerners are boarding the bus to leave Rwanda. Everyone is crying. The Westerners want to bring the Rwandans with them and they can not. This bus is only for those from the West. (54:30) Before the bus leaves, a large group of people are seen running through the hotel gates. It is all children, nuns, priests, and elders. They want to board the busâ€"to avoid their imminent death, but they are turned away. The intervention force has orders that those who can leave are only foreign nationals. No Rwandans allowed. Paul tells the Rwandans to calm down, because there is nothing that can be doneâ€"the West was not there to help them. (56:42) As the bus drives away, the Rwandans stand at the steps of the hotelâ€"staring and waiting.
0:56:56 Tatiana Asks Paul to Take the Children and Leave: Later that evening, Paul and Tatiana are talking on a bed. She told him to save himself and the kidsâ€"to leave and let them kill her. Paul refuses.
0:57:55 Ten Minutes to Leave the Hotel: Paul and Tatiana are awoken by the pressure of a gun to their head. It was a Rwandan Army leader who orders Paul and everyone at the hotel to leave in ten minutes. Paul buys time. He tells his wife to go to the roof with the children. (58:51) Under the bed is Roger, who became terrified at the sight of the members of the Army.
0:59:19 Call the French Suppliers: Paul is trying to reach the Rwandan Army General as the Rwandan Army in the hotel demands a guest list. Unable to reach the general, Paul makes contact with the director of Sabina Hotel in Belgium. Paul thanks the director for everything he has done for him and tells him that he is going to be killed. This prompts the director to contact the French government, who supply the Hutu rebels, to plead for the end of the raid on the hotel.
1:01:25 Rwandan Army Leaves: In the hotel lobby, the Army is spilling beer on the Rwandan refugees. Paul prints out an old guest list. (1:02:05) The Army leader looks at the list and demands an accurate list or he is going to kill everyone who is staying in the hotel. (1:02:47) As Paul walks away, the Army leader gets a call over his talkie ordering him and his men to leave the hotel.
1:03:28 Best of Luck, Paul: Paul goes to the roof to get his wife and is told that the Director of Sabina is on the phone. (1:03:52) The director called the French President who made contact with Hutu rebels. He tells Paul that he pleaded with the French and the British to help those in the hotel and they refused. The director apologizes and wishes Paul best.
1:04:40 Shame Them into Helping: Paul meets with the refugees in the hotel lobby. There are hundreds of people in the room. He tells them that there is no more intervention force, no rescues. They can only save themselves now. He tells all refugees to call those they know abroad and tell them goodbye. Shame them into helping the Rwandans. He tells those in the room to act like visitors, not refugees.
1:06:05 Act Like Guests: All room numbers are being removed off the room doors as Paul walks around the hotel, room by room handing out bills.
1:06:22 Formula for Genocide?: Rwandans are gathered around a radio listening to a United States Department of State press conference. The official says that they believe that acts of genocide have occurred, but they are calculating formulas to see if others have or continue to happen.
1:07:06 The Americans are Watching: The Rwandan Army General is at the hotel. Paul asks him for help and promises Belgium support for the General in the future. Paul tells the General that Americans are watching his every move through satellites. (1:08:58) The General sees Paulâ€™s employee, Gregoire, acting foolishly and yells at him to get working.
1:09:19 Paul Needs to Buy Supplies: Paul is with Tatiana on a bed laughing at how he lied to the General about the American satellites. He tells her that he must go and get some supplies from his friend George and will be taking Gregoire.
1:10:12 Drive to Georgeâ€™s: Paul wakes Gregoire, and they leave the hotel grounds. (1:10:26) The two drive through the streets of Kigali and see fires all around them. Georgeâ€™s warehouse is in complete chaos with machete wielding people protecting the doors. He asks for George.
1:11:31 Genocide is Half Complete: George arrives as individuals are beaten around Paul and Gregoire. Paul asks for supplies, which have doubled in price. George tells Paul that the Tutsis will soon be all dead and that the Hutus are half way there.
1:14:27 Miles of Death: Taking a river road back to the hotel, Paul and Gregoire veer off the road. They come to a stop and walk out of the car onto a field of dead bodies. (1:15:02) It is foggy, rainy, and smells awful. Paul falls to the ground and is surrounded by hundreds of corpses. Children, women, men. There seems to be miles of bodies. Paul enters the van and tells Gregoire to never repeat what they just witnessed.
1:16:34 Paul cannot hold all the pain: Upon arriving at the hotel, Paul goes into a room, locks the door, and begins to cry. He rips off his shirt and cries as his staff knocks on the door. He turns them away. This is his first break-down.
1:18:20 Hatred and Insanity: The refugees are having a gathering at the pool. Rwandan children are dancing with music playing in the background. Paul and several others are sitting along the pool, and Paul tells of what he witnessed only a little bit ago. He is asked why this is happening and Paul responds with two words: hatred and insanity.
1:19:14 Machete is No Way to Die: Dinner is being served to the refugees. Taking Tatiana by the hand he walks her to the roof, where a candlelight dinner awaits them. There are gunshots in the background. They sit and begin to talk about their lives. He tells her of how he bribed a health official to have her relocated to Kigali when they first met so that he could be closer to her. They laugh. (1:22:33) Paul tells Tatiana that if the Hutus were to come and kill him, she should come to the roof and jump off with her kids in hand. The machete is not a good way to die, and their children should not witness the murder of their parents.
1:23:41 First Exit Visa Issued: As children are playing in front of the hotel, Col. Oliver arrives and gathers the group of refugees together. The calls to their relatives abroad have worked and several families have been issued exit visas. The Colonel reads several names. Many are being left behind, but others, including Paulâ€™s family, are leaving at 7 AM the next morning.
1:25:30 Paul is Leaving: Red Cross worker brings medical supplies and asks Paul if he is on the list. He answers in the affirmative and asks that she try to find his nieces. She tells him that they are probably dead. He assures her that he will find help for Rwandans when he leaves.
1:26:48 Paul Can Not Leave His People to Die: Western radio announces the death toll at 500,000. Those who were issued exit visas are filling a United Nations truck. (1:27:34) Paul says good bye to those who are being left behind. He can not get on the United Nations truck and leave them behind. (1:28:21) Paul decides not to leave and closes the back door of the truck. His family begins to scream and yell for him. He can not leave those people to die.
1:28:51 An Ambush: UN trucks are driving through the city as the radio is announcing death to the Tutsis. (1:29:56) Gregoire tips the Rwandan Army that Tutsis are being smuggled out by the United Nations. This is announced on the radio. (1:30:32) Hutus attack convoy with machetes in hand and demand to search the trucks. (1:31:36) The doors are opened and Colonel Oliver tells the Hutus that those in the truck are United Nations political refugees. Paul is able to reach the Rwandan Army General who sends troops to push the Hutus away.
1:32:57 Tatianaâ€™s Near Death: A Hutu has a machete to Tatianaâ€™s neck. He asks her name, she does not respond. The army arrives and pushes the Hutus away. (1:33:03) The United Nations convoy is able to flee and (1:33:49) and arrives back at the hotel.
1:34:30 No More Water: Tatiana is upset with Paul and refuses to speak to him after he stayed behind at the hotel and separated from the family. (1:34:50) She is in shock but recovers quickly. Paul and Tatiana walk around the hotel to speak of what has just happened. The refugees are pulling water out of the pool and boiling it, since the water supply to the hotel has been cut.
1:35:34 More Bribes Needed: The Rwandan General returns to the hotel and takes the protection that he put at the gates away. He demands more money from Paul.
1:36:09 Missile Attack: Later that evening, the refugees are eating outside, and a missile hits the hotel blowing off the top. Paul walks around the hotel and sees no injuries.
1:36:51 Agreement Reached: In the morning, it is announced that there is a refugee exodus occurring in Rwanda. Colonel Oliver returns to the hotel and informs Paul that there has been an agreement. In exchange for Hutu prisoners, the Hutus will allow those at the hotel to cross enemy lines and enter a safe region. The transfer may be as much as two days away.
1:37:58 Money at the Diplomat: While in bed with his wife, Paul remembers that there is money at the Diplomat which he can use to bribe the Rwandan Army General for protection. (1:38:57) The General arrives and takes Paul to the Diplomat to see what kind of bribe Paul is offering. (1:39:04) Riding in the back of the army truck, Paul witnesses what has come of Kigali. Fires, screams, an exodusâ€"a run from death.
1:39:47 Just Shoot Me: At the Diplomat, Paul opens the safe and offers the General drinks, gold, and money. The General accepts and informs Paul that the Rwandan Army has been ordered out of the city. He wants Paul to come join him. Paul refuses, calling the General a marked man. Paul demands to return to the hotel. A small argument erupts between the two. The General is about to pull out his gun, and Paul begs him to shoot.
1:43:15 Hotel Colline Attacked: At the Hotel Colline, complete chaos has erupted. The Hutus entered the hotel grounds. The Rwandan General begins to shoot his gun and orders the Hutus out. Paul goes to look for his wife. (1:44:16) Upon entering the hotel, Paul is quickly pointed out by Gregoire, and he is ambushed. The Rwandan Army enters the hotel and scares the Hutus away. (1:44:43) Paul goes to the roof and sees people lying on the ground. He instantly thinks that it is his wife and children but is mistaken. Those on the ground were faking their deaths.
1:45:30 Hiding in the Shower: Paul finds his wife hiding in the shower with several others. She is holding a shower hose in defense.
1:46:20 Leaving the Hotel Colline: It is morning and the United Nations peacekeepers are loading all the refugees into trucks. They drive off, leaving the hotel behind. While driving through the streets of Kigali, thousands of people are seen flocking to the bordersâ€"running for their lives. (1:48:19) Screams are heard, and Paul looks out of the truck to see Hutus trying to attack the convoy. The trucks are close to the line of separation between the fighting factions, and the Rwandan army is able to scare away the attackers. The trucks cross the line to safety. The imaginary line.
1:50:33 Reach the Imaginary Line: The United Nations trucks drive into the massive refugee camp where thousands of people are in lines, eating, and looking for children. The trucks are unloaded, and Paul is told that there are buses which will take him and his family to Tanzania. (1:51:28) Paul and his family begin to look for his nieces but are unsuccessful. They board the bus to Tanzania.
1:52:30 A Family Reunited: The Red Cross worker finds Paulâ€™s nieces and runs to the bus. She yells for the bus to stop. (1:53:22) The bus stops, and the worker tells Paul that she has found his nieces. (1:54:00) They rush to where the orphan children were held. The children were all singingâ€"not understanding what is happening in the world around them. In the middle of these orphans are Paulâ€™s two nieces. They are finally reunited.
1:54:54 Always Another Way Out: Paul, his family, and many others walk towards the bus in a group. They missed the bus. But, it is okayâ€"there is "always more room."
1:55:00 The End: One Million Dead. A Nation Destroyed.