Shooting Dogs (2005)

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers:

David Wolstencroft (screenplay)
Richard Alwyn (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

8 December 2005 (Portugal)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

1994, 800,000 killed in 100 days. Would you risk your life to make a difference?

Plot:

In April 1994, after the airplane of the Hutu President of Rwanda is shot down, the Hutu militias slaughter the Tutsi population...

Plot Keywords:

Hutu | Tutsi | Militia | Catholic Priest | Catholic

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

John Hurt	...	Christopher
Hugh Dancy	...	Joe Connor
Dominique Horwitz	...	Capitaine Charles Delon
Louis Mahoney	...	Sibomana
Nicola Walker	...	Rachel
Steve Toussaint	...	Roland
David Gyasi	...	François
Susan Nalwoga	...	Edda
Victor Power	...	Julius
Jack Pierce	...	Mark
Musa Kasonka Jr.	...	Boniface
Kizito Ssentamu Kayiira	...	Pierre
Clare-Hope Ashitey	...	Marie

Directed by
Michael Caton-Jones

Writing credits
David Wolstencroft		(screenplay)
Richard Alwyn		(story) and
David Belton		(story)

Produced by
Richard Alwyn	....	executive producer
David Belton	....	producer
Rémi Burah	....	co-producer
Ruth Caleb	....	executive producer
Pippa Cross	....	producer
Jens Meurer	....	producer
Joe Oppenheimer	....	development producer
Michael Schmid-Ospach	....	co-producer
Karsten Stöter	....	co-producer
David M. Thompson	....	executive producer
Paul Trijbits	....	executive producer
Andrew Wood	....	line producer

Original Music by
Dario Marianelli

Cinematography by
Ivan Strasburg

Film Editing by
Christian Lonk

Casting by
Anja Dihrberg
Karen Lindsay-Stewart

Production Design by
Bertram Strauß

Art Direction by
Astrid Sieben

Set Decoration by
Dagmar Wessel

Costume Design by
Dinah Collin

Makeup Department
Sarah Grundy	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Jonathan Haren	....	post-production supervisor
Juvens Ntampuhwe	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mark Goddard	....	first assistant director
Paul Morris	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Thomas Cinamula	....	set dresser
Jean De La Paix Hategikimana	....	assistant property master
Theogene Kabalisa	....	painter
Eric Manirakiza	....	props
Eddy Munyabarenzi	....	set dresser
Hassan Munyemana	....	set dresser
Claudine Murenzi	....	assistant art director
Sandra Münchenbach	....	stand-by props
Jean De Dieu Nsengimana	....	painter
Steve Ntasi	....	props
Koko Rurinda	....	production buyer
Raoul Rwasamirera	....	props

Sound Department
Anthony Faust	....	adr mixer
Chris Gurney	....	boom operator
Daniel Iribarren	....	dialogue editor
Frank Kruse	....	supervising sound editor
Matthias Lempert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christoph Oertel	....	foley recordist
Carsten Richter	....	foley artist
Jonathan Rimas	....	assistant adr mixer
Kai Schoormann	....	foley editor
Rosie Straker	....	production sound mixer
Hanse Warns	....	additional crowd & sound effects editor
Hanse Warns	....	supervising foley editor

Visual Effects by
Matthias Albrecht	....	digital film editor

Stunts
Jason White	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Ewan Epton	....	best boy
John Evans	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Miriam Fassbender	....	second assistant camera
Gabriel Hyman	....	assistant camera
Micky Reeves	....	gaffer
Rolf Rosendahl	....	assistant camera
Gordon Segrove	....	first assistant camera: second unit

Casting Department
Abigail Barbier	....	adr voice casting
Sylvie Brocheré	....	casting: France
Louis Elman	....	adr voice casting
Carolyn McLeod	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Himani Dehlvi	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Mikael Carlsson	....	executive soundtrack producer
Dario Marianelli	....	conductor
Dario Marianelli	....	orchestrator
Maggie Rodford	....	music supervisor
Hilary Skewes	....	musician contractor
Benjamin Wallfisch	....	orchestrator
Alison Wright	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Jean Pierre Sagahutu	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Sara Curran	....	legal services
Rachel James	....	post-production accountant
Chris Morgan	....	location manager: UK
Yahaya Muvunyi	....	assistant location manager
Lucy O'Driscoll	....	legal assistant
Pat Rambaut	....	script supervisor
Nick Slepko	....	crowd coordinator
Alysa Sun	....	production assistant
Nicole Volavka	....	assistant to director
Sarah Wheale	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• CrossDay Productions Ltd.
• ARTE
• BBC Films
• Egoli Tossell Film
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Invicta Capital
• UK Film Council
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Distributors

• Renaissance Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2006) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Timebandits Films (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Metrodome Distribution (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Vivarto (2006) (Poland) (all media)
• IFC Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Adirondack Pictures (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Facets Multimedia Distribution (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies
• Fatts  post-production script service
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Mayflower Studios  sound post-production
• MovieScore Media  soundtrack
• Tonstudio Hanse Warns  sound post-production

Also Known As:

"Shooting Dogs" - Germany, International (English title) (imdb display title)
"Beyond the Gates" - USA
"Mord unter Zeugen" - Germany (TV title)
"A kutyákat lelövik, ugye?" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Shooting Dogs" - Argentina (cable TV title)
"Shooting Dogs" - France
"Shooting Dogs" - Greece (DVD title)
"Shooting Dogs - Testemunhos de Sangue" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Tiros em Ruanda" - Brazil (imdb display title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images and language

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R | Germany:12 | USA:Unrated (DVD) | Australia:MA | Argentina:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

CrossDay Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

The characters are fictional but the events are not. Parts of the film were shot at Ecole Technique Officielle (ETO), a high school in Kigali, where the actual events took place. The title of the film comes from the fact that UN peacekeepers used to shoot local dogs that fed on the decomposing bodies of the genocide victims.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Throughout the movie, the Belgian Captain wears the insignia of a Sergeant (three white lines).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Episode dated 10 March 2007" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Jesu, Lover of My Soul

This is the best film I have seen in a good many years.

I haven't seen a film that evoked such emotion in so long I had forgotten that it was even possible for a film to do so. Even in film school there weren't many that left me with such a memorable impression. I saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival and I actually left the theatre shaking. I had the distinct pleasure of talking to Mr. Caton-Jones after the screening and it seemed to me that this film was a real cathartic piece for him as well.

For anybody that doesn't remember or wasn't around during the actual genocide and doesn't remember the news stories about it, it doesn't really matter....this film shows more than what they would have showed on CNN of CBC or any of the major news networks. This goes beyond those stories and tells you what really happened....even if it is only a small glimpse at the bigger picture.

I saw Hotel Rwanda and I thought it was a brilliant film, but I also thought that it was a tad bit "Americanised", which is fine I suppose, it gave the public what it usually wants...a good story but with a bit of a love story at it's centre which I thought detracted from the story of the genocide. This one has a definite European or even Canadian film-making feel to it. Hotel Rwanda also didn't show you everything...this is not a spoiler but a warning: be prepared to see everything, Caton-Jones doesn't leave anything to the imagination.

I was also disappointed though I suppose not all that surprised when I heard that this film had gotten a distributor in every country but the US. All you Americans reading this...appeal to whatever power you have to to get this film screened in a theatre near you. You are missing out on not only a cinematic gem but a little piece of history. I for one cannot wait to see this film in theatres again soon.