Stars: Claire-Hope Ashitey, John Hurt, Hugh Dancy, Dominique Horwitz, Susan Nalwoga, Steve Toussaint

Director: Michael Caton-Jones

Summary: An English priest becomes caught up in the fighting between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes in 1994 Rwanda.

An English priest working at a school in Rwanda in 1994 is drawn up in the violence caused when tension between Tutsi and Hutu tribes escalates into genocide. Based on a story co-written by BBC journalist David Belton--who was working in the country at the time of the genocide--SHOOTING DOGS is an intense and powerful fictionalised account of events that took place at the Ecole Technique Officielle school in Kigali between April 6th and April 11th in 1994. The film shows the experiences of the world-weary school headmaster Father Christopher (John Hurt) and Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy), a charismatic and idealistic young man taking a year out teaching in Africa. When the genocide begins to erupt, the school becomes a refuge for Europeans and Tutsis. A contingent of Belgian UN soldiers is stationed at the school but as the Hutu government vows to eliminate all Tutsis, the refugees wonder if the UN will protect them from the machete-wielding Hutu militias who start to surround the school. In order to give the film a realistic look, director Michael Canton-Jones elicits naturalistic performances from the actors, some of whom are survivors of the genocide. The film was shot largely with handheld cameras in order to give a documentary feel to the story and SHOOTING DOGS was filmed at the school caught up in the genocide. John Hurt and Hugh Dancy give strong, emotional performances as characters caught up in a series of moral dilemmas as to how they can help the Tutsis. By focusing on the fate of one school, this accomplished film succeeds in giving an overview of the Rwandan conflict and the inertia of various governments and organisations in dealing with the violence.

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Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Audio Commentary With Director, Audio Commentary With Writer & Producer, Featurette 'The Making Of Shooting Dogs', The Director & Writer's Visit to the ENO, Filmmaker's Diaries, Film Education Materials, Theatrical Trailer
Year:	2005
Release Date:	July 31, 2006
Runtime:	110 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	M T D 5256
Keywords:	Dogs, General, Shooting, Drama, Genocide, Rwanda
Genre:	Drama