WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Filmmakers Lisa and Rob Fruchtman bring their film Sweet Dreams, a documentary about the creation of the first ice cream shop in Rwanda during the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, to Monmouth University’s Pollak Theatre on Thursday, September 22 at 7:30 pm. The film is free and open to the public. There will be a Q&A with Lisa and Rob Fruchtman immediately following the screening.
Made up of women from both sides of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Rwanda’s first and only all women’s drum troupe, Ingoma Nshya, offers a place of support, healing and reconciliation. When the group decides to partner with two young American entrepreneurs to open Rwanda’s first-ever ice cream shop, these remarkable women embark on a journey of independence, peace and possibility. The film, selected as a New York Times Critics’ Pick, interweaves heart-wrenching stories of tragedy with powerful examples of hope and resilience to present a moving portrait of a country in transition. Film critic Miriam Bale notes, “It is rare to see a movie present such weighty problems and offer nonsimplistic, practical solutions in story form. Sibling directors Lisa and Rob Fruchtman have made a nuanced and deftly edited film about a complex issue.”
Lisa Fruchtman is an Academy Award-winning editor who has worked in both feature film and television. Among her many film projects are Apocalypse Now, The Right Stuff, Children of a Lesser God, The Godfather Part III, The Doctor, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Dance with Me, and The Woodsman. For television, she has edited such HBO films as Truman, Witness Protection, Point of Origin and Normal. Her awards include an Oscar for The Right Stuff, Academy Award and BAFTA Nominations for Best Editing for both Godfather Part III and Apocalypse Now, an Emmy Nomination and a Cable ACE Award for Truman. Children of a Lesser God was nominated for Best Picture.
Rob Fruchtman is an award-winning director, producer and editor of television programs and documentaries. He won the Documentary Director award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival for his feature film, Sister Helen, which aired on HBO. He has won three Emmys for his work with PBS. His film, Trust Me, a documentary produced for SHOWTIME, follows Christian, Jewish and Islamic boys at an interfaith camp in North Carolina. Fruchtman directed and produced Seeing Proof in 2007, a film about Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime and its lingering effect on Cambodia’s society, for George Soros’ Open Society Institute. His documentaries have explored the arts, history, world cultures and social justice issues -airing in festivals and on television around the world.
The event is sponsored by Monmouth University’s Department of Communication and the Center for the Arts, and is part of the “On Screen: In Person” film series, which brings six films and filmmakers to Monmouth University as part of a tour of the Eastern seaboard. On Screen: In Person is made possible by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program.