Kinshasa and its inhabitants are in darkness. They wait and struggle to get access to light. Between hope, disappointment and religious faith, Tongo Saa is a subtle and fragmented portrait of a population that, despite the challenges, is sublimated by the beauty of Kinshasa's nights.
Democratic Republic of Congo, 2022. Bravó, 16 years old, is exfiltrated from an armed group by the team of the Transit and Orientation Centre in order to be reintegrated into society. But the young man, who has only known war and fighting, does not submit to the rules of the centre and refuses to be treated like the other children. However, secretly he only dreams of one thing: find his family.
This debut film by Alain Kassanda starts off as a process of self-examination: How well does he really know his grandparents? How true are his ideas about his birth country DR Congo, whose national identity was partly molded by the Belgian colonizers? And, by extension, how much does he know about himself? In Colette et Justin, Kassanda travels through time and his own past, in the process bringing postcolonial Congo to evocative life.
Rumba Rules, New Genealogies offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa, with impromptu shots drawing the viewer into jam sessions on plastic chairs, and the quest for perfection at the studio.
Christian, Ben and Jean-Marie are fighting for political change of power and free elections in their country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But the incumbent President refuses to relinquish power. How can the course of events be changed? Must they join forces with the historical opposition leader and his powerful party? Is dialogue still possible or must they resign themselves to a popular uprising and the risk of a blood bath?
Set in a small village in the Congo, where one of the villagers’ favorite pastimes is either to watch or to take part in a form of very civilised "fighting" that involves two young men in loin cloths trying to flip the other to the ground. The action is over in a few seconds, and then another pair of fighters takes a turn, all the while reminded by the referee not to inflict hurt. An important match is coming up and the people in the village are backing their favourite, who spends his time in training with a Belgian coach, getting ready for the big day.