Northwest Film Forum

Set in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, Lee Isaac Chung’s impressive debut feature, Munyurangabo is the story of two young men—one a Tutsi, the other a Hutu—trying to create futures by putting their pasts behind them. For Munyurangabo, this means seeking justice for his parents, who were killed during the fighting. For his friend Sangwa, resolution might come once he’s able to revisit the lands he fled so long before.  But Sangwa's parents are scared of the intentions of their son’s companion—after all, “Hutus and Tutsi are supposed to be enemies.” Chung, a Korean-American, traveled to Rwanda with a small crew and a nine-page script outline. Working with the cast, he completed his script with their real experiences. The result is fresh, immediate and utterly authentic.

WINNER - Grand Jury Prize – AFI Fest
Best First Film - Mexico City Int’l Contemporary Film Festival
Best Narrative Feature - Sarasota Film Festival
Peace and Cultural Understanding Award - Wine Country Film Festival
 
NOMINATED - Breakthrough Director – Gotham Awards
Someone to Watch – Independent Spirit Awards
 
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard), Berlin Film Festival, Toronto Int’l Festival, Pusan Int’l Festival, Rotterdam Int’l Festival, Sao Paulo Int’l Festival, London Int’l Festival


“Like a bolt out of the blue, Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung achieves an astonishing and thoroughly masterful debut. This is, flat-out, the discovery of this year’s Un Certain Regard batch” —Variety

“Like a bolt out of the blue, Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung achieves an astonishing and thoroughly masterful debut. This is, flat-out, the discovery of this year’s Un Certain Regard batch” —Variety
 
Powerful and Arresting! Ambitious and impressive!” -A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“Remarkable! An authentically beautiful film… A ‘small’ masterpiece” - Robin Woods, Film Comment