Rwanda film gets Kigali screening

Paul Rusesabagina was played by Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda

The man who inspired Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda is to return to the country's capital to see it screened.

Paul Rusesabagina said the film would be shown at the Mille Collines Hotel in Kigali, where he sheltered more than 1,000 people from the 1994 massacre.

The hotel manager used his influence to bribe military officials to secure a safe escape for refugees.

Meanwhile, Rome's Panafricana festival has opened with a focus on Rwanda with a screening of Sometimes in April.

That film also shows the harsh reality of the Rwanda genocide - in which 800,000 people, largely Tutsis, died - and its aftermath.

'Positive' response

Mr Rusesabagina now lives mainly in Brussels but has been touring the world recently to promote Hotel Rwanda, which sees Don Cheadle play the hotel manager.

Mr Rusesabagina is hoping for a good reaction when the film plays in Rwanda. "There is no reason for it not to be positive," he said.

Hotel Rwanda was given three Oscar nominations, including best actor for Cheadle.

Meanwhile, other films shown during the Panafricana festival, which runs until 6 April, will include Angolan film O Heroi (A Hero), about a disabled man's struggle following three-decades of civil war.

The plight of women in Muslim countries will also be under the spotlight in two movies - Viva Laldjerie (Long Live Algeria) and Entre Femmes (Among Women).