(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)February 4, 2015

Sweet Dreams depicts journey of independence and peace through music

(MAHWAH, NJ) — Rob Fruchtman will screen and lead a discussion of his film, Sweet Dreams, at Ramapo College of New Jersey on Monday, March 9, from 3:30 to 5:30 in the H-wing Auditorium (H129). The College’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Communication Arts’ Cinematheque Series are co-sponsors of the event, which is free and open to the public.

The film, which Fruchtman co-directed and co-produced with his sister Lisa, is about a remarkable group of Rwandan women who defy the devastation caused by the genocide to form the country’s first all-female drumming troupe, Ingoma Nshya, and who open the country’s first ice cream shop. Made up of women from both sides of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the troupe offers a place of support, healing and reconciliation. When the group decides to partner with two young American entrepreneurs, Jennie Dundas and Alexis Miesen of Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream, and open Rwanda’s first-ever ice cream shop, these Rwandan women embark on a journey of independence, peace and possibility. Sweet Dreams interweaves intimate, heart-wrenching stories with joyous and powerful music to present a moving portrait of a country in transition.

The brother-sister team brings extensive feature film and documentary experience to the project. Rob Fruchtman is an award-winning director, producer and editor of documentaries and television programs. He won the Documentary Director award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival for his feature film, Sister Helen, which aired on HBO, and he has won three Emmys for his work with PBS. His film, Trust Me, a documentary produced for Showtime, follows Christian, Jewish and Islamic boys at an interfaith camp in North Carolina. In 2007, Fruchtman directed and produced Seeing Proof, a film about Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime and its lingering effect on Cambodia’s society.

Lisa Fruchtman is an Academy Award winning editor who has worked in both feature film and television. Among her many film projects are Apocalypse Now, The Right Stuff, Children of a Lesser God, The Godfather Part III, The Doctor, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Dance with Me and The Woodsman. For television, she has edited such HBO films as Truman, Witness Protection, Point of Origin and Normal. Her awards and honors include an Oscar for The Right Stuff, Academy Award and BAFTA Nominations for Best Editing for both the Godfather Part III and Apocalypse Now, an Emmy Nomination and a Cable ACE Award for Truman.

The screening and presentation are free and open to the public. For more information or to reserve a seat, please call 201.684.7409.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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