Product Description

Immaculée Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Her family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Miraculously, Immaculée survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor's home while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. . . . Now, the award-winning and three-time Academy Award®-nominated documentary film producer Steve Kalafer (More, Curtain Call, Bottom of the Ninth, Price of Freedom, Going Home, and Sister Rose's Passion) brings together the same creative and production team for their most challenging and powerful cinematic journey. The Diary of Immaculée reveals the horrific, yet inspiring story of a remarkable woman's experiences in the midst of one of history's most tragic events. Immaculée Ilibagiza, and others who were there, will tell you what happened . . . and you shall never forget it. With powerful and emotional on-camera appearances from the good Samaritans who kept Immaculée alive in Rwanda, to inspirational personalities such as Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and Carl Wilkens, this amazing story of a journey through the darkness of holocaust will touch your heart and soul. This is a documentary that will take you to a place where horror and hope and hatred and love lived side by side, clasping hands and breathing the same air. With unwavering faith and courage, one young woman faced the threat of unspeakable acts; endured incomparable despair; and quietly, graciously, and bravely came through the living hell of holocaust searching for safety, peace, and an everlasting Heaven. The Diary of Immaculée is a film that abounds with drama and compassion . . . and makes us all realize that heroes and heroines will always walk among us.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29274 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-08-01
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Digital Sound, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 38 minutes

Customer Reviews

An Incredible Story
Immaculée's story captured my heart when I first heard her speak with Wayne Dyer last fall. I read her book and felt transformed. This movie adds another dimension to her amazing story, and I commend the filmmakers for such a clear and moving exposition of her experience.
The film has many great moments: when Immaculée goes back to the hollow shell of what was once her family's home, we can feel how overwhelming and sad it is. She calls to her young son to hold him--one of the few blood relatives she has left.
Yet Immaculée clearly has healed and moved on from the tragic circumstances of the genocide--and if this woman can forgive her family's killers, anyone can.
My favorite moment in the movie is when she talks about meeting one of these killers. "I'm so sorry" he says.
"Yes, I'm past all that, I forgive you." (And I believe her!) She goes on to say, "But what were you thinking? You used to be a human being! How could you do such a thing?"
Now, what I love about this, is that she clearly "loves the sinner, hates the sin"--Her forgiveness is not blind, it acknowlegdes that something happened that was not good, but she doesn't condemn the person who did it. How utterly incredible. It was as if she was asking him why he stole a car or something.
(PS his answer was that they told him they would make him rich, but in fact, he spent 11 years in jail and had lost everything once he got out.)
Anyway, I think Immaculée is amazing, incredible, inspiring, beautiful inside and out, and I'm so glad to have this film as another tribute to her incredible story.
I was there, actually, when they were shooting it! After hearing her speak the first time, I knew I wanted to do an acting project about her story. I went to another conference and got to meet her. (Wow!) When I learned that she would be going back to Rwanda to film this documentary, I invited myself along--I'm grateful the filmmakers let me stay!
Anyway, I love what they did with the material, and I'm inspired by this film. I highly recommend it, and I wish it every success.

Immaculee's CD
This CD was interesting and enhances her book "Left to Tell" by actually visiting Rwanda, her homeland. However, I give it a low grade only because I was looking for more information on the spiritual elements of her heart-wrenching story. So by that measure, my expectations were not met. I can only say that the whole of her story -- the factual and spiritual -- as told in her book will live with me forever. Very powerful.

Riveting, Extremely well-done
The film chronicles Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza as she returns to the scene of one of history's most horrific displays of inhumanity. The film is very well-done, taking the audience through the aftermath of incomprehensible brutality. Readers of Ms. Ilibagiza's book will be fascinated to see the bathroom where she and seven other women hid, to hear the interview with the Pastor who gave them shelter and to meet many other key figures in her book Left to Tell. I think the documentary is particulary impressive in that the director could easily have chosen to sensationalize this material, and instead presents the story in a straightforward manner. Very, very well done.