Films catalogue
Ibuka, Justice
Synopsis
In the early days of April 1994, Valentine and Jean-Claude, two young parents, begin a new life in Kigali with their newborn baby. Their country, already flayed by racial propaganda and brutality, seems ready at last to experience the peace and justice the couple had hoped for. However, this hope is brutally dashed when a terrible explosion in the sky triggers a campaign of massacres aimed at rapidly wiping out hundreds of thousands of people. Faced with this devastating distress, Jean-Claude and Valentine embark on a frantic race to flee their homeland. Their survival will depend on their ability to trust their loved ones and unlikely allies, but above all, to rely on their unity and mutual courage. "Ibuka, Justice" is a short animated documentary that poetically reconstructs the miraculous journey of these parents and their baby through the voices of the former and the vision of the latter. This lyrical and moving film tells the story of a catastrophe in a sincere and different way, highlighting the horrors of colonization and war, but also the courage and solidarity that emerge in the midst of despair.
Cast & Crew
- Production : Mylène Augustin
- Art Direction : Bren López Zepeda
- Animation Supervision : Bren López Zepeda, Sunny Stanila
- Animation : Noah Jung, Yekaterina Kobsteva, Victoria Biste, Lubna Abou Anza, Julie-Ann Déry, Mikaëla Daoust
- Original Score : Aiko Devriendt
- Sound : Marie-Pierre Grenier, Sandy Pinteus
- Editing : Mélanie Obomsawin
Genre
Topics
Trailer
Biography
Born in Kigali and raised in Quebec City, Justice Rutikara developed a passion for storytelling, visual arts and performance at an early age. Actor turned writerdirector, he is committed to promoting a fairer and richer representation of AfroQuebec and Rwandan identities in the film and television industry. As a filmmaker, his short and medium-length fiction and documentary films have been broadcast on several public platforms and have won numerous awards, including a nomination for Best Director of the Year at the Gala Dynastie 2020 and the Prix Gémeaux de la relève in 2021. "Ibuka, Justice" marks his first animated film, adding a new dimension to his committed and innovative work.
Filmography
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2018Comme une étoile filante
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2019Le muzungu québécois
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2021La cité des autres
Festivals
[2024] Shorts Mexico, Mexico
[2024] Rising of Lusitana – ANIMADOC FILM FESTIVAL, Poland
[2024] DOK Leipzig, Germany
[2024] FIFF NAMUR, Belgium
[2024] Black Harvest International Film Festival, USA
[2024] Escales Documentaires, LaRochelle, France
[2024] RIDM, Montréal, Canada
[2024] Spark Animation, Vancouver, Canada
[2025] Ismailia International Film Festival, Egypt
[2025] Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma (RVQC), Canada
[2025] Regard, Canada
[2025] Vues sur mer, Gaspé, Canada | Prix du meilleur court-métrage
[2025] Courts d'un soir, Montréal, Canada
[2025] Vues d'Afrique, Montréal, Canada
[2025] STLOUIS'DOCS, Saint-Louis, Sénégal | Grand prix du court métrage
[2025] Festival International des films identitaires et solidaires, Nikki, Bénin
[2025] Sommets du Cinéma d'animation, Montréal, Canada| Prix du public
[2025] Festival international du film d’animation D'Annecy, France | Prix de la ville d'Annecy
[2025] Drim Short Film Festival, Struga, North Macedonia
[2025] NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA), USA
[2025] Festival Les Percéides, Percé, Canada
[2025] Film Festival della Lessinia, Bosco Chiesanuova, Italy
[2025] Festifilm en Beauce, Canada
[2025] Off-Court Trouville, France
[2025] Festival de cinéma de la ville de Québec (FCVQ), Canada
[2025] Linoleum Animation Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
[2025] Animatou, Geneva, Switzerland
[2025] War on Screen, Châlons-en-Champagne, France
[2025] ReAnimania International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival of Yerevan, Armenia
[2025] SCAD Savannah Film Festival, USA
[2025] Jail Film Weekender, Edinburgh, UK
[2025] Festival Images en vues, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Canada
[2025] Rabat International Author Film Festival, Marocco | Meilleur court métrage d'animation
[2025] Gimme Some Truth, Winnipeg, Canada
[2025] Ouaga Côté Court, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
[2025] Gala Québec Cinéma - Finalist for Best animated short film, Canada
Director's statement
For a long time, my father and mother kept silent about their past and our exile from Rwanda in April 1994, during the Tutsi killings and the civil war that ended the genocide. I learned not to ask questions, but it was only in recent years, as my career as a filmmaker developed, that my father began to tell me details. In fact, it was he who insisted that I handle our exodus story in the form of my next film. I was stunned by the many incidents, the incredible turnarounds, and the decisive actions that ensured our survival. My parents' testimony inspired me to create a work that explores love and solidarity in the face of apocalypse. It offers a more authentic and nuanced perspective than the often sensationalist way foreign productions portray the Tutsi genocide. This animated short, based on the memories of my father and mother, reveals a tragic, intimate and personal experience, told through their voices, their deep reflections and their past and present perceptions. From these voices emerge animated, melodious reproductions that come both from the stunned gaze of their baby discovering the wonders of life, and from myself as a filmmaker with a melancholy vision. The vibrant, colorful work plunges us into the first days of this tragedy through poetic images, where music and animation capture the beauty and pain of this family odyssey, combining love, loss and dreams.
Photos
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