This Is Football

Episode 1

Redemption

Fri, Aug 2, 201958 mins

How Football Saved Rwanda. One million Rwandans died in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. When it ended after 100 days of horror, the scars of conflict affected each and every survivor. The question the new government faced was how to re-build a country? The answer, as Rwanda's President Kagame tells us, was football. This film is an emotional exploration of the redemptive power of sport and the incredible stories of survival made possible through football. It is told through the fanatical Liverpool fans, the Rwandan Reds, who meet for each match in downtown Kigali to cheer on the club they have adopted and at first glance mirror fans from around the globe. But all are genocide survivors and behind their smiles are harrowing stories of pain and loss, and how they found a dream and a community again in football. The film's soul-stirring climax takes us to Anfield Stadium, where our group of Rwandan Reds fulfill their dream of travelling to Liverpool to watch their beloved team.