IMBABAZI - THE PARDON

“Imbabazi: The Pardon” by Joel Karekezi from Rwanda tells the story of two friends torn apart by the ethnic violence and bloodshed of the Rwandan Genocide. Best friends Manzi and Karemera find themselves on opposing sides in Rwanda’s ethnic civil war, with Tutsi Karemera’s family paying a horrific price for Manzi’s allegiance to his Hutu heritage. When Manzi is released from prison fifteen years later, his return re-opens old wounds. Filmmaker Joel Karekezi draws from his own experience as a survivor of Rwanda’s violence in creating this moving account of two former friends who must contend with the unimaginable horrors in their past.