OKRE connects the film, TV, and gaming industries with researchers and lived experience to create entertainment that sparks real social change
Case Study
CultureFilm

The Things We Don't Say

A group of young adults born during or just after the 1994 genocide against Rwanda's Tutsi people gather to find the courage to break a powerful taboo.
Rwanda is one of the few nations in the world providing specialist counselling for children conceived through rape, who number 10,000 across the country. Here, course leader Emilienne, a mother, therapist and genocide survivor, helps the group to imagine a future free from family secrets and societal stigma. In a circle of supportive peers, they tell their individual stories and face their struggles together, in the hope their participation will advocate for others facing similar trauma

How did OKRE support collaboration

OKRE supported the facilitation of two guided workshops for potential participants which were facilitated by Emilienne Mukansoro (Community Healer). Mutoni (Director) flew to Rwanda and observed these workshops in person.

The workshops were an opportunity for participants to share their stories and how their lived experience had impacted them. This would inform how these experiences would be be portrayed in the film.

It also allowed the team to find a primary participant for the film. OKRE also connected the team with Françoise Murekatete, a Rwandan clinical psychotherapist who has 15 years of direct and relevant experience of working with the specific issues of healing post-genocide.

Available via The Guardian

Read more from the director, Ornella Mutoni.
How collaboration improved authenticity

Guided Workshops

  • Two guided workshops were organised for potential participants, facilitated by Emilienne Mukansoro (psychotherapist) and observed in person by director Ornella Mutoni.
  • Participants were unaware of the film project, allowing the sessions to focus on sharing experiences naturally. These workshops provided an initial understanding of participants’ stories and informed a flexible filming schedule that allowed space for breaks if needed.
  • From these sessions, a primary participant was selected due to his openness, advocacy goals, and prior experience discussing his story without retraumatisation. He also expressed interest in filmmaking, which the team supported.
  • All participants were approached sensitively, fully briefed in advance by Emilienne and Françoise, and informed that participation was voluntary.

Developing a Trauma-Informed Approach

  • The team completed training with CounterPoint Arts and consulted with Emilienne and Francoise, leading to the inclusion of follow-up sessions for participants after filming, funded through crowdfunding.
  • Francois also prepared the crew with guidance on vicarious trauma and offered emotional support during production and for a month afterward.
  • 8 Strategies for Care were incorporated into pre-production. These included transparency around funding and distribution, ongoing consent and communication with participants, flexible scheduling, and ensuring emotional support and preparedness for both participants and crew.

Meet the team and collaborators

Ornella Mutoni

Director, Producer

Emilienne Mukansoro

Psychotherapist and Community Healer

Françoise Murekatete

Psychotherapist

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