Reclaiming History screening with filmmaker

In this moving documentary, directors Matthias Frickel and Samuel Ishimwe take audiences on a gripping journey through Rwanda’s colonial history to uncover the roots of ideas that would later prove deadly. Reclaiming History takes viewers from the vibrant streets of Kigali to the opulent museums of Germany and Belgium, and the unsettling remains kept in their archives far from public view. With Ishimwe, a genocide survivor, acting as an unwavering and deeply honest guide, we learn how Hutu and Tutsi became fixed identities, and the role of researchers in transforming imperial ideas of race into political and legal realities. Interviews with historians, curators, artists, and members of Ishimwe’s family make this a powerful exploration of personal and collective history. Released on the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, Reclaiming History invites viewers to reflect on Rwanda’s complex past and evolving future.

Filmmaker in (Virtual) Attendance for Q&A

Tickets are free. Register to attend the screening here.

This screening is part of What Remains: Reclaiming Memories, Materialities, and Embodied Histories in African Cinema, a film series co-presented by the Toronto International Film Festival and the Cinema Studies Institute at the University of Toronto.

The What Remains series runs from January 9 -16, 2026, with screenings at the TIFF Lightbox and Innis Town Hall Theatre. Click for the full programme and venues.