My first pick is the 1987 classic "Cry Freedom".Directed by "Richard Attenborough",(1982's Award Winning Gandhi"), Cry Freedom is a dramatization of the story of Steve Biko, the South African Black Consciousness leader, who was murdered while in police custody, and Donald Woods, the white editor of the Daily Dispatch who befriended him. Woods wrote a book exposing the death of Biko while in Police custody. In order for him to get the book published he had to escape from South Africa.
Biko is played by "Denzel Washington", and Woods is played by "Kevin Kline". Woods' wife, Wendy, is played by "Penelope Wilton."
The movie opened the eyes of the world to grave injustices commited by the South African Appartied government during the 1970's and 1980's. In 1972, Biko became honorary president of the Black People's Convention. He was banned during the height of apartheid in March 1973, meaning that he was not allowed to speak to more than one person at a time and so could not make speeches in public. It was also forbidden to quote anything he said, including speeches or simple conversations, or to otherwise mention him.
On September 6, 1977, he was arrested at a police roadblock under the Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967. He suffered a major head injury while in police custody and was chained to a window grill for a full day. On September 11, police loaded him into the back of a car and began the 740-mile drive to Pretoria. He died shortly after the arrival in the Pretoria prison. Police claimed his death was the result of an extended hunger strike.
On October 7, 2003, South African Justice Ministry officials announced that the five policemen who were accused of killing Biko would not be prosecuted because of insufficient evidence. They said a murder charge could not be supported partly because there were no witnesses to the killing. Charges of culpable homicide and assault were also considered, but because the killing occurred in 1977, the time frame for prosecution had expired.
The second pick is 2004's "Hotel Rwanda". "Don Cheadle's" performaance as "Paul Rusesabagina", manager of the Belgian-owned Mille Collines, a luxury hotel in Kigali, the Rwandan capital is pure brilliance.
Street smarts became Rusesabagina's salvation when "Rwanda" plummets into genocide ten years ago in an event that transformed the genial businessman into an unlikely hero.
As ethnic "Hutu's" began killing their "Tutsi" neighbors, Rusesabagina—a Hutu married to a Tutsi woman "(Sophie Okonedo)" —turned his hotel into an impromptu refugee camp for more than a thousand terrified Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Deserted by international peacekeepers, Rusesabagina began cashing in every favor he had ever earned, bribing the Rwandan Hutu soldiers and keeping the bloodthirsty militia (mostly) outside the gates during the hundred days of slaughter.
In the end, he survived along with his wife and three children, as did most of the refugees he sheltered. Outside the hotel the genocide claimed up to one million lives.
The movie, which opened in limited release in the United States garnered "2005 Oscar" nominations for best actor, best picture, best screenplay and best actress for Sophie Okonedo, but in the end was shut out. Personally I thought "Hotel Rwanda" was a much more important and better film than the best picture winner "Million Dollar Baby". Cheadles loss to Jamie Foxx("Ray") was a little more understanding and Okonedo was a relative new comer going up against the terrific Cate Blanchet("Aviator").
Check these two great films out,
Kenaz,
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