SCHEDULE & PROGRAM
Congo in Harlem 6 presents an exciting collection of fiction, documentary and animated films in addition to special panel presentations, art and music. We will be updating the program regularly with more event details and information on special guests who will be in attendance. All events take place at Maysles Cinema unless otherwise noted.
Tickets to individual events may be purchased by clicking the links below. You may also purchase a full series pass which grants access to all films and events throughout Congo in Harlem.
At all events, ticket holders will have a chance to win special treats from Theo Chocolate!
Thursday, 10/16, 6:30PM
Kick-off Panel + Reception
COVERING CONGO: Journalism in the DRC
***Special free event hosted by the Brown Institute at Columbia University's School of Journalism
FREE EVENT - RSVP here
+ More Info about the Panel
Location: Brown Institute For Media Innovation, East Wing of Pulitzer Hall, Ground Floor, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY 10027 - Map
Emergent technology is rapidly changing the landscape of journalism as we know it. The past decade has seen explosive growth in new digital media outlets, the cultivation of new forms of storytelling, and a movement toward niche coverage. With all these developments, the future of journalism around traditionally underreported stories, such as the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has never been brighter -- or has it?
Congo in Harlem, in collaboration with the Columbia School of Journalism, will convene a diverse panel of journalists and scholars to discuss the current state of journalism in DR Congo. The conversation will unpack the challenges and constraints journalists face in getting their stories out, as well as explore the new possibilities that digital media has to offer, with the aim of arriving at a more nuanced understanding of the forces at play in shaping current media representations of Congo and its people.
Panelists:
Mélanie Gouby, Independent journalist featured in Virunga
Sekombi Katondolo, Founder of Mutaani FM
Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson, Producer of 60 Minutes' Joy in the Congo: A Musical Miracle
Moderated by Milton Allimadi, Publisher and CEO of Black Star News
Followed by reception
This is a free event! Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to event start time to secure a seat.
Sunday,10/19, 7:30PM
Soeur Oyo (Sister Oyo)
+ More About the Film
Dir. Monique Phoba
DR Congo/Belgium
2014, 20 min.
Set in the Belgian Congo in the 1950s, Sister Oyo tells the story of Godelive, a Congolese schoolgirl at the Catholic boarding school Mbanza-Mboma, the premiere French language school for Congolese girls. She is to be westernized, following the will of her parents, but the memory of her grandmother intervenes...
Followed by post-screening discussion with filmmaker Monique Mbeka Phoba
Opening Night Celebration with Congolese food and live music by Isaac Katalay and the Life Long Project
Monday, 10/20, 7:30PM
Forest of the Dancing Spirits
+ More About the Film
Dir. Linda Vastrik
DR Congo/Sweden/Canada
2013, 104 min.
Filmed over 7 years among the Aka, one of Congo's pygmy tribes, Forest of the Dancing Spirits is an intimate and expansive portrait of life in a hunter-gatherer society. The film centers on the relationship of Akaya and Kengole, a young couple struggling to have children and find acceptance in their social group. Filmmaker Linda Vastrik's portrayal of her subjects is deeply human, but decidedly unromantic, and offers a rare window into a way of life that is being threatened by the outside world.
Tuesday, 10/21, 7:30PM
Bwana Kitoko
Q&A w/ Professor Matthew G. Stanard
+ More About the Film
Dir. André Cauvin
Belgium/DR Congo
1955, 80 min.
In 1955, just five years before Congolese independence, King Baudouin of Belgium paid his first visit to his nation's prized colony. Belgian filmmaker André Cauvin was enlisted to document the trip, and from this material created Bwana Kitoko (translated from Swahili as "Handsome Man"), a propaganda film that is at once a naked portrayal of colonial exploitation, and a valuable source of insight into the forces that have shaped life in Congo today.
Followed by post-screening discussion on colonial propaganda with Professor Matthew G. Stanard (Berry College) and Lubangi Muniania (Tabilulu Productions)
Wednesday, 10/22, 7:30PM
Rumble in the Jungle - Rare outtakes
Q&A w/ filmmaker
+ More about the Film
Dir. Albert Maysles
DR Congo/US
1974, 45 min.
2014 marks the 40th anniversary of the Rumble in the Jungle, a historic boxing showdown in Kinshasa that pitted Mohammed Ali against undefeated heavyweight champ George Foreman. The event, bankrolled by Zaire's dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, drew celebrities, musicians, and press from around the world. Filmmaker Albert Maysles was there to film the build-up to the fight, and has generously shared footage from his personal archive for a one-time special screening.
Followed by post-screening discussion with filmmaker Albert Maysles
Thursday, 10/23, 7:30PM
Examen D'Etat (National Diploma)
+ More About the Film
Dir. Dieudo Hamadi
DR Congo/France
2014, 90 min.
In Kisangani, a group of Congolese high school students takes matters into their own hands after their teachers demand fees to help them study for their national diploma. Together, they rent a house and prepare on their own for a moment that will define their future. With a style that is casual but precise, director Dieudo Hamadi never misses a moment in his heartrending portrait of determination, success, and disappointment.
Friday, 10/24, 7:30PM
Tatu: Che In Congo
Freddy Ilanga: Che's Swahili Translator
2 films screening back to back about Che Gueverra's time in Congo + Q&A w/ special guest
+ More About the films
Tatu: Che in Congo
Dir. Jorges Fuentes
DR Congo/Cuba
1997, 56 min.
In 1965, Cuba sent an expeditionary force to eastern Congo to train Marxist rebels in the fight against Congo's American-backed central government. The Cuban Expedition was led by none other than Che Gueverra who, under the code-name "Tatu" ("Three" in Swahili) cemented himself a place in Congo's history. Fuentes' rarely screened film is an account of Che's travels and political influence, as told by the Cubans and Congolese who knew and fought alongside him.
Freddy Ilanga: Che's Swahili Translator
Dir. Katrin Hansing
DR Congo/Cuba/US
2013, 24 min.
Freddy Ilanga, a fifteen-year-old Congolese youth, became Che Guevara’s personal Swahili teacher and translator during the Cuban Expedition to Congo. After seven intense months by Che’s side, the Cuban authorities sent Freddy to Cuba, displacing him from his family and abruptly changing his life. Hansing's film captures Ilanga's recollections of his time with Che, and his reconnecting with his family after 40 years of separation.
Followed by post-screening discussion with special guest Ofunshi Oba Koso
Sunday, 10/26, 2:00PM
Afriqu'Anim'Action
Presented by Film Voyagers Children's Program
+ More about the Animations
Studio Malemba Maa
DR Congo
2014, 45 min.
A lively collection of 8 kid-friendly animated films, created by young artists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo-Brazzaville, under the supervision of legendary Congolese filmmaker/animator Jean Michel Kibushi.
Saturday, 10/25, 3:00PM
Special Panel Discussion
Peace and Stability in the DRC: The 2016 Elections and Congo's Constitution
FREE EVENT - RSVP here
+ More About the Panel
A central issue of concern to the Congolese populace at large is the transition from the current government to a new one in 2016. President Joseph Kabila's second term in office will expire in December 2016 and per the Congolese constitution, he is not permitted to run for a third term. His political party has signaled that they will seek to change the constitution in order to allow Kabila to run again. Congolese civil society, youth, faith leaders and opposition forces have called for Kabila and his political party to respect the country's constitution. In addition, the United States via Secretary of State, John Kerry and Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region Russ Feingold has called on Kabila to step down at the conclusion of his second term and organize elections to usher in a new government and peaceful transition. A key component of the Peace Framework established by the United Nations and 11 African countries to advance peace in the Congo calls for the Kinshasa government to subscribe to the principles of good governance, which entail respecting Congo's constitution.
Congo in Harlem has gathered a panel of experts to discuss Congo's prospects for a peaceful democratic transition in 2016.
Please note that seating is extremely limited and only available on a first come first served basis. RSVPs will be taken until 2PM, but do not guarantee seating as you must arrive at least 15 minutes early to claim a seat. A waiting list will be opened at the cinema beginning at 2PM and any remaining available seating will be opened to the list at that time. There will be a simulcast room available for overflow seating.
Panelists:
Michael Deibert, author of
The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair
Kambale Musavuli, spokesperson for Friends of the Congo
Alain Seckler, UN Peacekeeping Operations
Moderated by Jason Stearns, author of the blog Congo Siasa, and Dancing in the Glory of Monsters
Sunday, 10/26, 3:00PM
Black Africa White Marble
+ More about the Film
Dir. Clemente Bicocchi
Congo Republic/Italy
2012, 78 min
In the 1880s, there were two paths for Central Africa: Pietro di Brazza's and Henry Morton Stanley's. Brazza rejected much of the racism of his age, using his philosophy of non-violence to penetrate the rainforests of the Congo basin and win over the people living there. Meanwhile, Stanley, in the service of Belgium's King Leopold II, advanced with the roar of the cannon. More than a century later, when the current president of Congo decides to transfer di Brazza's remains to a multimillion dollar mausoleum in Brazzaville, a descendent of di Brazza discovers an insidious hidden agenda behind the plan, and launches a human rights battle. Told through an innovative blend of animation, puppetry, archival material, and original footage, Black Africa White Marble is a gripping real-life thriller spanning two centuries.
Saturday, 10/25, 7:30PM
Virunga
+ More About the Film
Dir. Orlando Von Einsiedel
DR Congo/UK
2014, 97 min.
Virunga Park, the oldest National Park in Africa and home to the last of the mountain gorillas, is one of the most bio-diverse places in the world -- it also happens to be one of the most unstable. In 2012 it was the site of a standoff between the M23 rebel group and Congo's national army, and is full of rich minerals coveted by a shady, money-hungry multi-national corporation. Amid these threats, a brave collection of individuals -- including an ex-child soldier turned ranger, a gorilla handler, a Belgian conservationist, and a French journalist -- risk their lives to protect the park, and Von Einsiedel's sensational documentary tells their story.
Followed by post-screening discussion with Mélanie Gouby, the journalist featured in Virunga plus Closing Night Celebration with live music by Isaac Katalay and the Life Long Project