Equinoxe shoots first feature in Rwanda

Montreal – Writer/director Robert Favreau (Les Muses orphelines) is in Rwanda preparing to shoot his latest, A Sunday in Kigali. The drama is produced by Lyse Lafontaine and Michael Mosca for Equinoxe Productions and marks the Montreal production company’s first feature film.

Based on A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali by Quebec journalist Gil Courtemanche, the screenplay is written by Favreau with dialogue input from Courtemanche. The 37-day shoot under DOP Pierre Mignot gets underway May 27 in the Rwandan capital and the surrounding countryside.

Luc Picard (Savage Messiah) stars as a Canadian journalist who falls in love with a Rwandan woman, played by French actor Fatou N’Diaye (Nha Fala). Their story unfolds as tensions in Rwanda grow leading up to the 1994 genocide. Other stars include Céline Bonnier (Séraphin: un homme et son péché), Alexis Martin (Un 32 ao°t sur terre), Fayolle Jean (La Peau blanche), Makka Kotto (Lumumba) and Mireille Metellus (Le Go°t des jeunes filles).

The $7-million feature is produced with funds from Telefilm Canada, SODEC, the Canadian Television Fund, Radio-Canada, The Harold Greenberg Fund and tax credits. Equinoxe Films is handling domestic and international sales. Laura Bracken