Ep 895: Anne Aghion

Ep 895: Anne Aghion

From Filmwax Radio by Adam Schartoff

April 9, 2026 · 1h 20m · Season 16 · Episode 895

About this episode

Anne Aghion discusses her impactful documentary work, particularly focusing on post-genocide justice in Rwanda and her experiences in Antarctica.

Anne Aghion has been praised as a filmmaker of poetic vision and a unique documentarian whose films, in the words of one critic, “pull us deep into the social fabric“ of the places she covers. She gained international renown for “The Gacaca Series“ (pr. ga-CHA-cha), four films on post- genocide justice and social reconstruction in Rwanda. There, Anne Aghion charted the emotional impact of a controversial system of justice that returned killers to their homes to live side-by-side with the survivors of unimaginable violence. The final film in the series, “ My Neighbor My Killer “ premiered in Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival; was nominated for Best Documentary at the Gotham Awards; and earned Aghion the Nestor Almendros Award for courage in filmmaking at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. Additionally, other films in the series received an Emmy Award and the UNESCO Fellini Prize. The 2008 feature “ Ice People “ was described by Variety as “staggeringly beautiful,“ and New York Magazine’s noted critic Bilge Ebiri wrote that “it might be the most immersive documentary I’ve ever seen.“ The film, which explores the physical, emotional and spiritual…

People in this episode

Host: Adam Schartoff

Guest: Anne Aghion

Topics covered

  • documentary filmmaking
  • social justice
  • Rwanda
  • Antarctica
  • Nicaragua
  • post-genocide reconstruction

Keywords

  • Anne Aghion
  • documentary
  • Rwanda
  • social justice
  • Antarctica
  • filmmaking
  • Gacaca Series
  • My Neighbor My Killer
  • Ice People

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ARTE France, ITVS International, Sundance Channel, Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, Gotham Awards, UNESCO

Books & works: The Gacaca Series, My Neighbor My Killer, Ice People, Se Le Movió El Piso: A Portrait of Managua (The Earth Moved Under Him)

Places: Rwanda, Antarctica, Nicaragua

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