''Rising From Ashes'' is a 2012 independent

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

about the development of a national cycling team in

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

, a country still affected by 1994

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

where an estimated 500,000–1,000,000 Rwandans were killed.

Plot

Professional cyclist Jacques “Jock” Boyer moves to Rwanda in 2006 to help a group of struggling genocide survivors working to form a national cycling team. The team is composed of children left orphaned and traumatized by the genocide a decade earlier. Over the course of the story, both Boyer and the team "rise from the ashes" of their pasts with the help of their new achievements. "Team Rwanda" begins as a cycling organization but evolves as organizers realize the athletes' greater needs. Many riders are illiterate and malnourished, living without water, electricity or healthcare, and most are recovering from the psychological effects of the 1994 genocide. Eventually, "Team Rwanda" is viewed as a symbol of hope for Rwanda, ambassadors for the recovering country. In subsequent years, the team expands its vision and develops a model of caring for athletes. In 2012, the team begins developing the first all-African team to match up to the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

after one of the riders qualifies for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Reviews

Daphne Howland of

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

called Rising From Ashes “a remarkable documentary. It’s not just about a cycling team; it’s a testament to what happens when human beings care for one another.” “The film is crisp and economical,” said Frank Schneck of

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

. “The film … avoids extraneous melodramatics, which, after all, are hardly necessary in a tale that already contains such inherently powerful drama.” The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 79% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 19 reviews, with an average score of 5.9/10.

Production

Rising From Ashes was produced by two partnering non-profit organizations, Gratis 7 Media Group and Project Rwanda, over the course of six years.

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Forest Whitaker, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award ...

narrated the film, which was produced with $800,000 that came exclusively from donors. Since its release in 2012, the film has won awards at more than a dozen film festivals worldwide.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 2088883
Official film site
American independent films Documentary films about cycling 2012 films Documentary films about Rwanda 2010s American films