In August 2009 I was the director of photography for a documentary film called Rwanda: Take Two. The film was shot in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and was about two local filmmakers working through the ranks of the country’s growing film scene.
Tim McLaughlin (right) with Fred Muvunyi, field producer for Rwanda: Take Two.
The director and editor, Pia Sawhney, spent five months editing the film and we were both thrilled to find out that it had been accepted to the International Film Festival in Rotterdam.
Earlier this month I flew to the Netherlands to be a part of the 39-year-old festival. While I saw my fair share of films, I was most excited about the opportunity to spend time with five good friends from Rwanda who had made the trip to Holland. As ‘Team Rwanda’ we went en masse to the public screenings of our film and enjoyed some spirited Q&A sessions about the state of filmmaking in Africa.
It was an overwhelming and wonderful experience, and I was extremely thankful for the opportunity to show the film. The film festival circuit can be a challenge, but it’s something all filmmakers and multimedia documentarians should consider.
– Tim McLaughlin, Multimedia Program Director, Maine Media Workshops & College