Netflix is back with another true-to-life tale – Trees of Peace.
The film takes place during the backdrop of the horrific Rwandan Genocide, telling the story of four women’s struggle to survive.
It also explores the emotional and psychological toll such events have on a person.
The film has already proved to be a success, sweeping up numerous awards at film festivals.
It is set to be a difficult but important watch as it highlights one of humanity's darkest periods of modern history, an event which claimed the lives of around 500,000 people.
What is Trees of Peace about?
Trees of Peace is an original story, although the backdrop and context surrounding the tale's events are very much true.
The film tells the tale of the horrendous event known as the Rwandan Genocide of the Tutsi minority ethnic group by armed soldiers.
The hideous act took place in 1994 and the story offers a window into the atrocities through the eyes of its four central women, Annick (played by Elliane Umuhire), Jeannette (Charmaine Bingwa), Peyton (Ella Cannon) and Mutesi (Bola Koleosho)
It focuses on the sisterhood these women share and their struggle to survive.
Is Trees of Peace based on a true story?
Yes and no. Sadly, the Rwandan Genocide was a real event which took place in 1994, but the characters and specific plot of the film are wholly original.
According to the writer and director of the film, Alanna Brown, the movie was inspired by various stories of women in hiding during the 1994 event.
The idea for the film has been with Alanna since 2008, after she interviewered Francine Lefrak, the founder of Same Sky.
This is an organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation of female survivors from the genocide and other catastrophic world events.
During an interview at the Peoria Film Fest, Alanna said: "In prepping to interview her, I started coming across real survival stories of women and just people in general.
"[I] was so gripped by the will to survive such a harrowing ordeal, without food, without water, sometimes without shelter, hiding in the most extreme circumstances you could possibly imagine and hanging on to life."
As such, the film is inspired by true events, though doesn’t directly depict them exactly as they happened.
*Trees of Peace is streaming on Netflix now.
