Notre-Dame du Nil
Our Lady of the NileRwanda, 1973: high up in the mountains, at the source of the Nile, a black statue of the Virgin Mary watches over a Catholic boarding school for girls. Here, during days filled with classes, mass and practical work, the daughters of politicians, officers and businessmen are educated to one day become productive members of the country’s elite. Whether Hutu or Tutsi, the girls share their curiosity, dreams and joie de vivre. However, the social dynamics and increasing conflicts that characterise the school microcosm mirror the ravages wrought by the colonial order. Deeply symbolic images hint at the genocidal violence that would later engulf the entire country in 1994.
With
- Santa Amanda Mugabekazi (Virginia)
- Albina Sydney Kirenga (Gloriosa)
- Angel Uwamahoro (Immaculée)
- Clariella Bizimana (Veronica)
- Belinda Rubango Simbi (Modesta)
- Ange Elsie Ineza (Frida)
- Kelly Umuganwa Teta (Goretti)
- Pascal Greggory (Fontenaille)
- Carole Trévoux (Mother Superior)
Crew
Director | Atiq Rahimi |
Screenplay | Atiq Rahimi based on the novel “Notre-Dame du Nil” by Scholastique Mukasonga, Ramata Toulaye-Sy |
Cinematography | Thierry Arbogast |
Editing | Hervé de Luze, Jacqueline Mariani |
Sound Design | Ingrid Ralet |
Sound | Dana Farzaneh Pour, Mathieu Cox |
Production Design | Françoise Joset |
Producers | Rani Massalha, Dimitri Rassam, Marie Legrand |
Co-Producers | Charlotte Casiraghi, Patrick Vandenbosch, Jérôme de Bethune, Fabrice Delville, Christophe Toulemonde |
Co-Production |
France 2 Cinema Paris Swoon Productions Paris Belga Productions Braine-l’Alleud |
World Sales
Indie Sales
Produced by
Les Films du Tambour
Chapter 2
Atiq Rahimi
The novelist and filmmaker’s debut film Earth and Ashes, which he co-wrote with the Iranian director Kambuzia Partovi, screened in the 2004 Un Certain Regard section at Cannes where it won the Prix du Regard vers l’Avenir. His debut novel, “Syngué Sabour: The Patience Stone” was published in 2008; in 2011 he adapted the book for the screen with Jean-Claude Carrière. The film, which he also directed, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Notre-Dame du Nil is his third feature film.
Filmography
2004 Earth and Ashes 2012 The Patience Stone 2019 Notre-Dame du Nil
Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2020