Kimberlee Acquaro and Stacy Sherman set out to make a film that would both recognize the tragedy the women of Rwanda had endured during the 1994 genocide and honor their strength and spirit.
Out of respect for the sensitive nature of the women’s experiences the filmmakers worked in Rwanda with only two cameras and with no crew except for their translator, Norah Bagirinka, a genocide survivor herself.
Over time an atmosphere of friendship and trust developed between the filmmakers and their subjects—and the project became more than a film to both Acquaro and Sherman. When Fifi Mukangoga passed away during one of their visits due to HIV/AIDS contracted while being raped repeatedly during the genocide—and because she could not afford the antiretroviral drugs that had just become available for less than eighty dollars a month—the filmmakers resolved to use the film to raise money as well as awareness for the women survivors in Rwanda.
Through fundraising screenings they have raised nearly $25,000 to date. With the help of Amnesty International they were also able to bring their translator, Norah, to the U.S. in the fall of 2004 to travel with them and speak at film screenings. Norah applied for asylum and is now living in the U.S. and attending nursing school. The filmmakers are working to bring three sons to live with her in the United States.