Set in 1973, this coming-of-age portrait follows a group of young Rwandan girls at a Belgian-run

Catholic boarding school, taking inspiration from true events that would come to foreshadow

the 1994 genocide during the Rwandan Civil War. Many of the girls belong to elite families,

while others hold less privilege; further division is sown by ballooning anti-Tutsi rhetoric under

existing Hutu rule. The terrain is tense, but in the foreground lies a bewitching yet unassuming

story of colonial refusal, flanked by adolescent mischief and curiosity that is surely typical but

has, in this case, much higher stakes. Our Lady of the Nile bears the immersion, contemplation,

and hypnotic cinematography for which award-winning director Rahimi has become known. A

surprise hit comes from the young Rwandan actors, whose first-appearance performances have seasoned depth, capturing a moment in history through the eyes of those so rarely

consulted.—Toronto International Film Festival