Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Hotel Rwanda

  • 2004
  • PG-13
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
384K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,770
59
Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Mosa Kaiser, Sophie Okonedo, Ofentse Modiselle, and Mathabo Pieterson in Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Watch Trailer [OV]
Play trailer2:04
3 Videos
40 Photos
DocudramaEpicBiographyDramaHistoryWar

Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa.Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa.Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa.

  • Director
    • Terry George
  • Writers
    • Keir Pearson
    • Terry George
  • Stars
    • Don Cheadle
    • Sophie Okonedo
    • Joaquin Phoenix
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    384K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,770
    59
    • Director
      • Terry George
    • Writers
      • Keir Pearson
      • Terry George
    • Stars
      • Don Cheadle
      • Sophie Okonedo
      • Joaquin Phoenix
    • 820User reviews
    • 161Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #225
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 16 wins & 49 nominations total

    Videos3

    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 2:04
    Trailer [OV]
    Don Cheadle on the Role That Changed His Life
    Clip 1:29
    Don Cheadle on the Role That Changed His Life
    Don Cheadle on the Role That Changed His Life
    Clip 1:29
    Don Cheadle on the Role That Changed His Life
    Which Roles Did Samuel L. Jackson Turn Down?
    Video 2:31
    Which Roles Did Samuel L. Jackson Turn Down?

    Photos40

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 34
    View Poster

    Top cast38

    Edit
    Don Cheadle
    Don Cheadle
    • Paul Rusesabagina
    Sophie Okonedo
    Sophie Okonedo
    • Tatiana Rusesabagina
    Joaquin Phoenix
    Joaquin Phoenix
    • Jack Daglish
    Xolani Mali
    • Policeman
    Desmond Dube
    Desmond Dube
    • Dube
    Hakeem Kae-Kazim
    Hakeem Kae-Kazim
    • George Rutaganda
    Tony Kgoroge
    • Gregoire
    Rosie Motene
    • Receptionist
    Neil McCarthy
    • Jean Jacques
    Mabutho 'Kid' Sithole
    • Head Chef
    • (as Kid Sithole)
    Nick Nolte
    Nick Nolte
    • Colonel Oliver
    Fana Mokoena
    Fana Mokoena
    • General Bizimungu
    Jeremiah Ndlovu
    • Old Guard
    Lebo Mashile
    Lebo Mashile
    • Odette
    Antonio David Lyons
    Antonio David Lyons
    • Thomas Mirama
    Leleti Khumalo
    Leleti Khumalo
    • Fedens
    Kgomotso Seitshohlo
    • Anais
    Lerato Mokgotho
    • Carine
    • Director
      • Terry George
    • Writers
      • Keir Pearson
      • Terry George
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews820

    8.1384K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Hotel Rwanda' is acclaimed for its powerful depiction of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, highlighting Paul Rusesabagina's heroism. Cheadle's performance and the film's emotional impact are praised, though some find it less complex than 'Schindler's List'. The subtle portrayal of violence and historical context receives mixed feedback, but the film is generally seen as an important, moving work.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    10celicaricky

    Documentary Feel & an Acting Treasure - A must see.

    Just saw the San Francisco premier last night and it isn't a dramatization - it's much more of a documentary -- Hotel is extremely factual. CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THIS FILM! INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE!

    The Director and the story's protagonist were at the screening to answer questions. We ovated him for almost 10 minutes. Near the end of the q&a, an older man stood up and was called on. Slowly he commented that as a Tutsi, the movie gave him a lot to think about and that it may now be possible to find peace in his heart. The audience was stunned. And believe me, it takes a lot to silence a San Francisco audience.

    One last comment, the film is indpendently made and distributed - no Hollywood involvement at all (Terry George is British). There will be no machine pumping out ads and radio anouncements about this one. Help get the word out - great film!
    wl323

    a great one

    I have no doubt that this is the only movie for the past year that can get me totally, if not 101%, emotionally involved. For other movies, I might be interacting with the story a lot , say associating my personal experiences with the characters, making judgment on them, criticizing the development of the story, ways of expression, the cinematography, acting, etc. BUT, Hotel Rwanda simply took me over as I was watching it. My emotion was going along with Paul ( Don Cheadle) all the time. The director did a great great job in capturing the feelings of people facing uncertainty, horror, ridicules, anger, death, waning faith... Family, life and dignity/integrity become the largest things in the situation. What's more is that it squarely shows the realist thinking in international politics.It honestly shows the weakness or helplessness of the UN and the non-governmental organizations. It truthfully tells how indifferent most of the international community (or individuals, which may or may not include you and me) are towards the deprivation of social justice taking place in other parts of the world. It makes you question to what extent that it is true to say what we see ( the sufferings in the world) is what we tolerate. It shows you how monstrous human being can be. It scares you how sanity would fail. At the same time, the uglier the people become, the more beautiful you find those who have managed to keep brave and maintain humanity. The movie fully succeeds in showing me the spirit, faith, and compassion that the world is dreaming for.
    schicky

    An absolute must see

    The only comment I can give about this movie is - SEE IT. It's one of the most heart wrenching, yet beautiful movies I've ever seen. I really hope Don Cheadle and the movie receive Oscars! The acting is superb and the fact this is based upon a true story only makes it better. You may need some Kleenex as I was overwhelmed for a large part of this movie.

    I had the honor of seeing this movie at a preview screening with the real "Paul" and his wife attending - what an absolute amazing experience to be in their presence. This movie will make you rethink everything about what it means to be human and how much we need to think about all our neighbours in this world.

    Don't miss it!
    8anhedonia

    A brilliant movie that deserved a Best Picture Oscar-nomination

    At one point in "Hotel Rwanda," our hero Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) asks an American TV reporter (Joaquin Phoenix) how the western world could not intervene after seeing scenes of women and children being hacked by machete-wielding Hutu militia.

    How could they not, indeed! As we all know, the west didn't intervene. Not surprising, really. After all, this was Africa and Rwanda had no oil reserves. The people being killed were innocent men, women and children, but they were poor and black.

    A few years ago, former President Bill Clinton apologized to Rwandans for not intervening during the 100-day massacre that saw about one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus slaughtered in the most barbaric manner. It was gracious of Clinton, but a fat lot of good his apology did to the people who were killed and their families.

    The Rwandan genocide - that's what it was, though western leaders split hairs over the meaning of genocide – also was a black mark on western nations, which simply got their citizens out of Rwanda and then remained indifferent to the senseless killings.

    Terry George's film gives us one story about the Rwandan genocide, of one hero, Paul, a savvy, clever and cunning manager of a swank, four-star Belgian hotel in the capital, Kigali. When the massacres began, Paul, a Hutu, sheltered more than 1,200 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in the hotel and saved them from the wrath of the bloodthirsty mobs.

    Working from a smart script by Keir Pearson and George, "Hotel Rwanda" contains gutwrenching and emotionally trying moments not seen on the big screen since "Schindler's List" (1993). But whereas Spielberg's masterpiece was more arty and artistic - and I don't mean that pejoratively - George's film seems more immediate. Maybe it's because we now see a similar slaughter of poor, downtrodden people in the Darfur region of Sudan and, again, western nations aren't doing much other than threatening to rap the knuckles of the bad guys like angry teachers. This crisis gives "Hotel Rwanda" a sense of urgency.

    As visceral as this film is at times, George handles everything in muted fashion. We never see the horrors firsthand. There's brief news footage of people being killed and one particularly searing scene when Paul and his bellhop Gregoire (Tony Kgoroge) find themselves on a bumpy road. The moment's made more horrifying because George unveils it quite matter-of-factly.

    Making a PG-13 film about genocide requires numerous compromises. Putting most, if not all, of the violence off-camera is one such bargain George made. True, a closer look at the massacre would have rightly tortured us. But the film, nevertheless, works without gruesome moments. Pearson and George set out to make a story of heroism, survival, love and compassion amid the madness. And they succeeded.

    Cheadle carries the entire film. There isn't a false note in his performance. For years, he's turned in one superb performance after another. He's one of those actors who never hits it wrong and whose performances always stand out even if the films themselves aren't all that memorable. Here, he's in equal measure the smooth manager, man with a conscience and frightened husband and father. You can sense Paul's frustration, though Cheadle rarely displays any vulnerability.

    He gets great support from Sophie Okonedo as Paul's Tutsi wife, Tatiana, and Nick Nolte doing his best work in years as a Canadian United Nations officer, Colonel Oliver. Okonedo and Cheadle are utterly believable as a couple. They have one traumatic scene on the hotel roof, a quietly powerful moment that tugs at our heartstrings as we watch two people who love each other try to deal with what could happen. Okonedo conveys anger, fear and pain without ever turning the moment sentimental or needlessly overwrought. That's why the moment's shattering.

    "Hotel Rwanda" isn't flawless. George doesn't harshly indict the west for its indifference. Also, some scenes, especially one near the film's end, seem staged for obvious dramatic effect, to play with our sense of sympathy and dread. But minor faults can easily be forgiven because the rest of the film works so well, never sensationalizing any moment. The film's straightforward approach gives it more power, makes it more trenchant and meaningful.

    I would like to believe that we learn from history and the more powerful western nations will always come to the aid of oppressed people everywhere. But we're doing little in Darfur and although President George W. Bush openly touts his vision to spread liberty and democracy to oppressed peoples everywhere, I doubt he actually means it. After all, this freedom doctrine was something he created only after his initial justification for waging an unjust war - Iraq's supposed stockpiles of WMD - proved to be wholly without merit or fact. I doubt he actually considers bringing liberty to places like Zimbabwe or Burma. He speaks of the need for people to be free, conveniently ignoring some dictatorial nations - Pakistan and Turkmenistan, for instance - because they happen to be our allies. And so the dumb foreign policy continues.

    I can only hope the success of "Hotel Rwanda" will prompt other gutsy screenwriters and filmmakers to tell us more stories about the horrors that took place and the complacency of industrialized nations that could have helped and chose not to.
    10larajane

    Shaming and compelling

    Anything I say in this review is probably redundant, because there isn't a single negative review in all the comments so far here, and I agree wholeheartedly with what has been said by other reviewers.

    Nevertheless Hotel Rwanda is that rare kind of movie experience that doesn't easily relinquish its hold on the audience just because the credits have rolled. Watching with a friend, after ten minutes we had to pause the film because we decided we would be better served if we were more informed about what the basic facts of the conflict in Rwanda were. So to my shame, we had to read on the internet about what really happened, before we could continue. I say shame because we should have known, both of us were of an age when it happened to have taken more of an interest in world politics.

    The film is beautifully understated, eschewing sentimentality in favour of raw emotion and letting the story tell itself. The acting was flawless - Don Cheadle's breathtaking performance being a particular standout - and the direction didn't falter, despite all the potential pitfalls of dramatising a recent and horrific conflict. The scenes which were hardest to watch in terms of tension and violence were often suffused with humour and hope.

    It's difficult sometimes to separate the significance of the true story, from the artistry of the product, and often I get impatient with 'worthy' movies scoring big at Oscar time because it seems as though important stories ought to be rewarded, whether or not they make good films. However, I can't recall being so profoundly moved by a film since I saw The Grey Zone, and I hope Hotel Rwanda gets all the plaudits it deserves.

    More like this

    The Passion of Joan of Arc
    8.1
    The Passion of Joan of Arc
    Before Sunset
    8.1
    Before Sunset
    Jai Bhim
    8.6
    Jai Bhim
    Platoon
    8.1
    Platoon
    The Best Years of Our Lives
    8.1
    The Best Years of Our Lives
    Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Tsuzumi Mansion Arc
    8.5
    Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Tsuzumi Mansion Arc
    La haine
    8.1
    La haine
    The Exorcist
    8.1
    The Exorcist
    High and Low
    8.4
    High and Low
    Rush
    8.1
    Rush
    M
    8.3
    M
    Room
    8.1
    Room

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The screenwriter spent one year writing the first draft of the script. During the process, he called the Rwandan embassy in DC. The woman who picked up the phone was a survivor who stayed at the Milles Collines Hotel.
    • Goofs
      The land now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo is called "Congo" in the movie. From 1971 until 1997, the country was officially called Zaire and would have been named as such in formal references. However, this area was known as Congo from 1877 to 1971. It would not be unusual for a character to refer to it as "Congo" out of habit or custom.
    • Quotes

      Paul Rusesabagina: I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene.

      Jack: Yeah and if no one intervenes, is it still a good thing to show?

      Paul Rusesabagina: How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?

      Jack: I think if people see this footage they'll say, "oh my God that's horrible," and then go on eating their dinners.

      [pause]

      Jack: What the hell do I know?

    • Crazy credits
      Part of the profits from this film shall go to The Rwandese Survivors Fund.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Best Films of 2004 (2005)
    • Soundtracks
      Umqombothi
      Written by Attie Van Wyk & Chicco Twala

      Performed by Yvonne Chaka Chaka

      Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd. on behalf of Tela Music

      Courtesy of Universal Records

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ21

    • How long is Hotel Rwanda?Powered by Alexa
    • Why did the International community allow this massacre to occur?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 4, 2005 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • South Africa
      • Italy
    • Official sites
      • Metropolitan Filmexport (France)
      • MGM/United Artists (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Kinyarwanda
    • Also known as
      • Hotel Rwanda: La matanza
    • Filming locations
      • Kigali, Rwanda
    • Production companies
      • United Artists
      • Lionsgate
      • Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $17,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $23,530,892
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $100,091
      • Dec 26, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $33,882,243
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 1 minute
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Mosa Kaiser, Sophie Okonedo, Ofentse Modiselle, and Mathabo Pieterson in Hotel Rwanda (2004)
    Top Gap
    What was the official certification given to Hotel Rwanda (2004) in Japan?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.