The rumours are true...

... not only is Jim van Dijk helping us finish up our film, I'm heading back to Rwanda to do it with him. Tomorrow. (Or, today, by the clock.) Sadly, Jesse, Chris & Lyn aren't able to come, but I'll be joined in-country by Richard & Jeff of the Wellspring Foundation. I'll definitely be missing the company of my crew compadre's, getting schooled at ping-pong and eating chipati's as before. But alas...

This time around the stay will be short. Jim and I will only be spending five days in Rwanda. We have several things we'd like to shoot, some of which we can't pre-organize, only go out and get. Others, like interviewing genocidaires reintegrating into their communities, will take divine intervention to pull off. A top priority is spending more time with Nicholas Hitimana, who I've mentioned here before. His story is key to our documentary, and symbolizes Rwanda's journey.

The time since August has been... well, really good. The story & structure have had time to simmer, boiling off the froth to leave only juicy goodness behind. Rwanda is a complex place. We've done research, reading, watching other docs, talking to people... but it's difficult to know what's really happening there without spending time on the ground with real Rwandese.

Our first trip got us some incredible access - from the top to the bottom of the country, both in a geographical and societal sense. We heard a lot of stories, and captured some of the beauty of the place and the people. But our first trip raised as many questions as we answered... We got it (over, and over again) that education is the way forward, but less solid is why, and to what end? And what about the 120,000 Rwandans still in jail for genocide? Those are the kinds of questions I'm going to try and answer on this trip - a more truthful examination of how the reconciliation process is going; and a more practical understanding of the way forward.

Keep checking back over the next few weeks (& months after I get back). At the end of all this I think we're going to have a compelling story to share, and mostly through Rwandan voices.

Thanks for your support!