Almost 10,000 people packed the main stadium in the Rwandan capital Kigali on Monday for the country's premiere of Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda.
The movie tells the true story of hotel owner Paul Rusesabagina's attempts to shelter refugees and rally global help during the 1994 genocide.
Mr Rusesabagina, played by Don Cheadle, missed the screening due to illness.
Survivor Anne, 46, who took shelter in the hotel, saw the film and said: "They portrayed human nature well."
Paul Rusesabagina (left) with actor Don Cheadle
Hotelier Paul Rusesabagina (left) was played by actor Don Cheadle
She added: "I was there. It reminds me of my family, I stayed there for a month, separated from my husband and children."
Hotel Rwanda has received worldwide acclaim, culminating in three Oscar nominations in January, including one for Cheadle for best actor.
Boos erupted during a scene when machetes were dumped on the ground, with cheering when Hutu extremists were killed by the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front.
The screening at the Amahoro stadium came three days before the country marks the 11th anniversary of the start of the genocide, in which about 800,000 people were killed.
Hotel Rwanda screening in Kigali stadium
The city's stadium is playing host to a string of new genocide movies
Mr Rusesabagina's absence was officially blamed on illness, but there was speculation he stayed away because he recently claimed genocide was still going on.
Belfast-born director Terry George was there. He said: "It was really important to come back here and show the movie to people in Kigali to let them see that the world is starting to get a message of what took place in 1994.
"We are trying to see how we can use the emotion generated by the film to help the people of Rwanda, most especially the survivors."
In January, the same stadium hosted a premiere of another genocide film, Sometimes in April, while yet another, Shooting Dogs, will be shown there later this year.
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