Coming to theatres this Friday, August 2: RISING FROM ASHES
TC Johnstone’s look at the development of a Rwandan athletic team made its debut at last year’s Hamptons. Its fest circuit has included Denver, Bahamas, Dallas, Austin, RiverRun, and Santa Barbara.
At the outset of the Rwandan genocide, the possession of a simple bicycle as a means of escape literally meant the difference between life and death for many. More than a decade after the violence, the rebirth of competitive cycling in the nation may hold the promise of reconciliation. At least that’s the hope of Tom Ritchie, one of the creators of the mountain bike, and an initially hesitant Jock Boyer, a former Tour de France competitor, who set out to form and train the Rwandan National Cycling Team, composed of both Hutus and Tutsis. Johnstone’s inspirational and beautifully shot film chronicles their six-year mission to get the team in shape to compete at the London Olympics, profiling various athletes and the personal impact their country’s tragic past has had on them. Demonstrating the power of sports to bridge deep-set cultural and historical divides, the talented young men bond as a team, across ethnic lines, at times even poignantly sacrificing their own glory for the good of a would-be traditional “enemy” turned ally.
what (not) to doc 