The documentary “Sweet Dreams” tells the story of rebirth in Rwanda after the devastating 1994 genocide that saw close to a million people killed in an effort at ethnic cleansing.
Filmmakers Lisa and Rob Fruchtman will be on hand for a screening of “Sweet Dreams” on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro, sponsored by Kline’s Dairy Bar, in conjunction with the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s On Screen/In Person program.
The film will be shown at 7 p.m. A discussion with the filmmakers will follow, along with a panel discussion titled “The Power of Women Entrepreneurs.”
The Historic Wayne Theatre/Ross Performing Arts Center was one of 10 sites selected (and the only site in Virginia) to present a series of six movies beginning in September through Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s On Screen/In Person program.
Admission is $10 for adults or $7 for students. A season pass runs $50 for adults and $35 for students and includes all six films in the series.
“Sweet Dreams” picks up the story of the effort to begin healing in Rwanda with the creation of Ingoma Nshya, Rwanda’s first and only women’s drumming troupe, open to women from both sides of the conflict.
There was only one requirement, according to Kiki Katese, the pioneering Rwandan theater director who launched Ingoma Nshya: to leave the categories of the past at the gate.
Katese then came up with the idea to open Rwanda’s first and only ice cream shop, which led to natural questions among the members of the dance troupe, primarily, what was ice cream exactly, and how would they do it?
Katese invited Jennie Dundas and Alexis Miesen of Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream to come to Rwanda to help the drummers open their shop, which they named Inzozi Nziza (Sweet Dreams).
“Sweet Dreams” follows this remarkable group of Rwandan women as they emerge from the devastation of the genocide to create a future of hope and possibility for themselves.
“What we knew of Rwanda was the devastation of 1994 genocide – 800,000 minority Tutsis killed in one hundred days, many by those they knew, neighbors and friends,” the Fruchtmans said. “How, we asked ourselves, was it possible for Rwandans to move forward from that? And how did drumming and ice cream fit in? We got on a plane to Rwanda to find out.”
On Screen/In Person is a program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Wayne Theatre is located at 521 W. Main Street in Downtown Waynesboro. More information or tickets are available at (540) 943-9999 or WayneTheatre.org
More screenings
On Screen/In Person is designed to bring some of the best new independent American films and their respective filmmakers to communities across the Mid-Atlantic region. The filmmakers will tour with their films and work with the host sites to develop community activities that provide audiences context and greater appreciation for their respective work and the art of film.
The On Screen/In Person screenings will include …
You Belong To Me, Sex, Race and Murder in the South, Oct. 20, 2016:
The film explores the story of Ruby McCollum, an African-American woman, who shot and killed a prominent white doctor and State Senator-elect C.L. Adams in Live Oak, Florida, on August 3, 1952.
Love Thy Nature, Nov. 15, 2016:
The film reveals how a connection with nature ignites a sense of meaning and wonder so profound that it touches the very core of what it means to be human. Interweaving mesmerizing imagery and interview footage, it is a guided tour of our relationship with nature that proposes new approaches to a sustainable future.
Hilleman – A Perilous Quest to Save the World’s Children, Feb. 21, 2017:
Before vaccines, there were a multitude of diseases that too often kept children from reaching even their teenage years. From the throws of that environment, Dr. Maurice Hilleman would emerge to lead a revolution in vaccine innovation and save many millions of young lives each year. But when parents began choosing not to vaccinate their children in the 1990s the cruel irony became clear; Hilleman’s unprecedented successes had allowed us to forget just how devastating childhood diseases could be.
Real Boy, March 23, 2017:
The coming-of-age story of Bennett Wallace, a transgender teenager on a journey to find his voice as a musician, a friend, a son, and a man. Navigating the ups and downs of young adulthood, he works to gain the support of his mother, who has deep misgivings about her child’s transition.
States of Grace, April 6, 2017:
Film intimately captures the transformation of a revered physician, pioneering AIDS specialist Dr. Grace Dammann, and her family in the wake of a life-changing accident. After seven weeks in a coma and a dozen surgeries, Grace miraculously awakened with her cognitive abilities intact, though her body was left shattered.
Get a glimpse of what’s coming up at the Wayne online at http://waynetheatre.org/upcoming-performances
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