In support of the Wisconsin Idea and in partnership with the Shakespeare in Wisconsin 2016 initiative, the Division of the Arts’s flagship community program, the Wisconsin Film Festival, will join forces with the UW–Madison Libraries, the Chazen Museum of Art, Wayland Academy, Friendship International, Appleton North High School and Wisconsin Public Radio by offering educational and community screenings of the documentary film Rwanda & Juliet at three Wisconsin locations in October and November 2016.
Dartmouth Professor Emeritus Andrew Garrod travels to Rwanda to mount a production of Romeo and Juliet featuring members of both the Hutu and Tutsi tribes a mere two decades after inter-tribal genocide has occurred. The journey towards opening night is fraught with financial and interpersonal tensions, setbacks and against-the-odds triumphs. This layered, nuanced documentary gets to the heart of the matter by giving us a clear-eyed example of why Shakespeare is as relevant and important today as ever before.
As part of the Screens for Teens outreach program, special public screenings of Rwanda & Juliet took place:
Thursday, October 6, 2016 | 6:30 pm
Kimberly Chapel on the Wayland Academy Campus
101 North University Avenue, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Ticket information: $10 general / $8 senior citizens and students at the door or
in advance at Rechek’s Food Pride, Beaver Dam and Piggly Wiggly, Beaver Dam
Friday, October 7, 2016 | 1:00 pm (Student Screening) | 7:00 pm (Public Screening)
Appleton North High School Auditorium
5000 North Ballard Road, Appleton, WI 53913
Ticket information: Free general admission
Saturday, October 8, 2016 | 12:00 pm
Chazen Museum of Art Auditorium
750 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706
Ticket information: Free general admission
Thursday, November 17, 2016 | 8:00 pm
UW-Stevens Point Sentry Theatre
1800 Northpoint Drive, Stevens Point, WI 54481
Ticket information: Wisconsin High School Theatre Festival registration in advance or cash/check only at the door
Thursday, December 8, 2016 | 1:00 pm (Student Screening)
Sheboygan North High School
1042 School Avenue, Sheboygan, WI 53083
Friday, February 10, 2017 | 1:45 pm (Student Screening)
Madison East High School
2222 East Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53704
Friday, February 16, 2018 | 3:30 pm
Edgewood High School Auditorium
2219 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711
This spirited documentary runs 87 minutes and features a stirring musical soundtrack. Each screening included access to educational materials and a Wisconsin Film Festival facilitated Q&A with filmmaker Ben Proudfoot in attendance (Beaver Dam and Appleton screenings only).
Click here to view “Wisconsin Film Festival on Tour! Rwanda & Juliet” photo album.
In 2016, we recognize the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, 20+ years since the Rwandan Genocide and a new generation of Rwandans emerging in the world, as well as the crucial need to come together to share stories that foster understanding, compassion and acceptance.
Support provided by The Bradshaw Knight Foundation.
The Wisconsin Film Festival is presented by the UW–Madison Division of the Arts in association with the Department of Communication Arts.