Hotel Rwanda Page #22

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL LOBBY. DAY

The lucky families are gathered: Tatiana and all her children; Xavier

and his wife; Benedict; and others.

Some of the unlucky ones peer around the door of the ballroom. A UN

officer stands in their way.

UN LIEUTENANT:

Back. Everyone back. Only those with

letters of acceptance in the lobby.

EXT. HOTEL FORECOURT. DAY

The UN convoy waits outside. Tatiana waits nervously as Paul checks

his watch.

TATIANA:

A little longer, Paul?

PAUL:

We wait until 7:
00. If he is not here

with the twins he is not coming. We

leave. That was your promise. Go help the

children.

INT. HOTEL LOBBY. DAY

Paul is in a horrible mood. The refugees in the ballroom try to push by

the UN officer. Paul joins him.

UN LIEUTENANT:

Back, please. Stay back.

PAUL:

Zozo, tell those people to get back to

the ballroom. They can not be here.

Zozo scampers off.

PAUL (CONT'D)

What are we waiting for? Come on.

Paul herds the convoy people toward the door.

CLOSE ON:
Gregoire watching from behind the front desk.

Through the doors we see the trucks being loaded.

Zozo returns.

ZOZO:

Sir, the others want to speak to you.

Reluctant, Paul walks over to the ballroom dwellers.

PAUL:

Yes.

TUTSI WOMAN:

Good, sir we have letters, please take

them for us.

Paul reaches out for the letters, takes them, reads the addresses:

President Nelson Mandela. Pope John Paul. President Clinton.

TUTSI MAN #1

If you leave, we are certain to die.

ZOZO:

I have a letter, sir.

Zozo hands Paul the letter. He studies the address. It reads "To the

great man Muhammad Ali."

Others crowd around.

PAUL:

I will get you all visas. I promise. I

will get you out of here.

Paul's at a loss. He has to tear himself away.

Afraid to look back, he heads for the convoy.

EXT. HOTEL LOBBY. DAY

The last of the evacuees clamber onto the UN trucks. The children are

on board but Tatiana waits.

TATIANA:

Ask them to wait a little longer. For the

twins.

PAUL:

Get on the truck, Tatiana.

TATIANA:

No.

He checks his watch, then takes her in his arms.

PAUL:

Look, our children are crying, please get

on the truck.

Paul helps Tatiana on board. He looks toward the door.

POV:
The unlucky refugees are now crowded at the windows, lost souls

watching out from their prison at the lucky ones.

Paul whispers to Benedict as he boards.

INT. TRUCK DAY

Paul clambers on beside him. He reaches Tatiana as Benedict sits

beside her.

PAUL:

I have to stay.

TATIANA:

No! Sit down now.

PAUL:

I cannot leave these people. I will wait

for the twins.

Paul backs off. Tatiana tries to follow. Benedict grabs her.

TATIANA:

Let go. Let me off this truck.

A commotion as she tries to get up.

TATIANA (CONT'D)

Let me go. Children get off.

PAUL:

I will follow on the next plane. Go.

EXT. HOTEL FORECOURT. DAY.

The truck starts up. Paul runs beside it, shouts to Tatiana.

PAUL:

I love you. Keep the children safe.

TATIANA:

Paul!

Then another voice.

ROGER:

Papa! Papa!

The convoy takes off down the driveway.

Paul, Zozo and other refugees cluster by the door.

Zozo looks round,

Sees:
Gregoire put a phone down.

INT. UN JEEP. DAY

UN Colonel Oliver sits next to a UN PAKISTANI DRIVER.

The convoy passes looters and small groups of Militia on the road but

proceeds unheeded.

INT. HOTEL PAUL'S ROOM. DAY

The room is still littered with clothes, kids drawings, the personal

junk accumulated over four weeks.

Paul tries to arrange things, then collapses on the bed, paralysed with

doubt - Why did he do this?

Then the door bangs.

ZOZO:

Boss, sir, quick, please, come quick.

INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR. DAY

The door springs open, Paul confronts Zozo.

ZOZO:

(breathless)

Sir, the radio, you must hear, it is on

the radio.

INT. HOTEL KITCHEN. DAY

Paul and Zozo burst into the kitchen. The cooks and others are

clustered, listening to the radio.

RADIO ANNOUNCER (O.S.)

...Block the roads to the airport! The

cockroaches from the Mille Collines are

escaping! Xavier. The liar Benedict, the

traitor Rusesabagina's cockroaches. Stop

them now at Rue Don Bosco. Thirty

thousand francs for the head of Xavier!

PAUL:

Dear lord, how did they know?

ZOZO:

I saw Gregoire make a call, sir?

PAUL:

When?

ZOZO:

As the trucks go.

INT. HOTEL LOBBY. DAY

Paul bursts out of the kitchen - enraged.

Gregoire is at the front desk. Sees Paul - understands instantly.

Gregoire takes off, running for his life.

EXT. HOTEL GARDENS. DAY

Paul chases after him, through the door.

Gregoire disappears into the thicket of trees.

Paul after him.

Through the trees.

Gregoire, younger, faster, climbs the high wire fence.

Finally, Paul reaches the fence.

Sees Gregoire escape into the bushes on the other side of the fence.

Paul gives up, turns back toward the hotel.

INT. JEEP TRAVELLING. DAY

As the UN jeep turns a bend, Colonel Oliver SEES crowds of Interahamwe

swarming from beside houses, from gardens. They pull burning tires, old

furniture, junk onto the road.

INT. TRUCK TRAVELLING. DAY

The UN truck suddenly lurches, then slows. The refugees from the Mille

Collines grow alarmed.

TATIANA:

What's happening?

INT. HOTEL OFFICE. DAY

Paul is on the fax phone, begging.

PAUL:

Please, General, I will give you money,

whiskey.

GENERAL BIZIMUNGU (O.S.)

You said you had no whiskey.

PAUL:

Please, I have money. They're driving

into an ambush, it's on the radio.

EXT. KIGALI STREET JUNCTION. DAY

Swarms of crazed Militia fill the road. Gun fire breaks out.

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