SWEET DREAMS at DOC NYC – New York’s Documentary Festival
November 14th, 2012 by Mr. C
Directors: Lisa Fruchtman & Rob Fruchtman
From one emotional & inspiring documentary to the next, Sweet Dreams might have just taken the cake or more appropriately – ice cream – in my DOC NYC book! Sweet Dreams starts off the film with a history lesson on the horrific incident in 1994 in Central/East Africa – the Rwandan genocide that claimed one million lives. With the 40 years of Belgian rule in Rwanda, the ‘Tutsi’ social cast group were favored over the ‘Hutu’. With the subsequent Independence of Rwanda came Hutu power and oppression of the Tutsi. The government ordered all Hutus to do their country duty and kill all Tutsis which might have entailed murdering their neighbors, friends, & family which resulted in one million lives lost and a nation with lost souls, hopes, & dreams. 17 Years later the country is still mourning in conjunction with trying to mend broken hearts and trust between the groups.
The real sweet dream & reconciliation starts when an all woman drum team consisting of the Tutsi and Hutu come together as one and form as INGOMA NSHYA. They come from all different backgrounds – widows, orphans, and children of perpetrators/killers from the genocide. Rwanda’s first women Drum team brought back hope and unity for the country! The sounds emitted by the drum pounds by these ladies were powerful, rhythmic, & graceful!
Another sweet dream would be realized by the members of Ingoma Nshya as the prospects of the ladies learning a new skill and developing a new food palate with the possibility of starting up an ice cream shop in Butare is coming to fruition. The know how, love, and generosity would be fueled by Alexis Miesen, one of the founders of Blue Marble Ice Cream in Brooklyn. The film documented the enthusiasm of the ladies and even more so the hope in their eyes. The skills, equipment, and training in making ice cream provided to the drum team would be a known, a given. The hard part of this business ordeal would be for the ladies to create a cooperative, a shareholder of sorts that would need investments towards the establishment. All in all, decisions would be made, a leader would be elected and shareholders will be chosen which leaves a few in the dark. Their ice cream shop would be called INZOZI NZIZA (Sweet Dreams)!
I loved how the director framed the story choosing horrific images of the past while fast forwarding to the present day, showing tender & conflicted moments while still highlighting the innocence and hardships between the subjects. Some of my favorite moments of the film without giving out spoilers are when the President of Rwanda stops by the village for a Q&A with the residents, the drumming aspects of the team, and the scene when the ice cream machine is in desperate repair before the grand opening of the store. The marketing strategy devised by Inzozi Nziza was also a fun moment!
I definitely recommend SWEET DREAMS to all! After watching this film, I can safely take a step back and honestly say hey, we don’t have it that bad afterall. It’s tough for me to picture what the Rwandan’s went through with all the bloodshed and lives lost but still have a heart in them to reconcile the past. I guess it’s just the human process to move on, learn from our mistakes to not repeat it so the harmonious living can go on.
I was looking forward to seeing 3 members of the Ingoma Nshya Drum team from Rwanda perform at Washington Square Park in NYC last Sunday but I had to dash back into the theatres for another screening. I will be looking out for you – Ingoma Nshya and maybe have some ice cream at Inzozi Nziza someday!
Here’s a great article on Gothamist about Jennie and Alexis – the owners of Blue Marble Ice Cream in Brooklyn.
Tags: doc nyc, documentary
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