The screening was eagerly awaited, and the Rwandan spectators were not disappointed. The film Petit Pays , by French director Eric Barbier, adapted from the best-seller by Gaël Faye and in which Europe 1 is a partner, was presented on Saturday in Kigali, where the shooting took place. One performance particularly caught the eye: that of Isabelle Kabano (third from the left in the photo), the Rwandan actress who plays Gaby's mother, the hero of the story. His journey resonates with that of his character. She also lost family members during the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1994.
"I was wondering if I would come out unscathed"
"When I was announced that I would play this role, I had a big fear. I wondered if I would be fair, if I would be up to it, if I would come out unscathed", says the actress at the microphone from Europe 1. At the cinema in the city center, the writer Gaël Faye finds with emotion the one who interprets the heroine of his book on the screen. "Isabelle carries the film. The role of Yvonne was the most difficult to play, the one where there are the most changes," he explains.
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From the start of the screening, standing in front of the audience, the actress holds back her tears. His relatives cheer. "We are super proud of her, she is a face of Rwandan cinema. She is our Isabelle Adjani, our Catherine Deneuve", assures one of them. At the end credits, Isabelle Kabano is assailed by spectators demanding photos. His poignant interpretation of the consequences of the genocide made an impression.