New York: ‘Congo in Harlem 2’ at the Maysles Cinema, October 8th-23rd
Highlights of the program include: October 8th and 9th, Monique Mbeka Phoba, a Belgian-based Congolese filmmaker, will present her films A Bewitched Life and Between the Cup and the Elections.
On October 17th, we will kick off Break the Silence: Congo Week with a special screening by Cultures of Resistance and a tribute to legendary soukous singer Kanda Bongo Man, who will be attendance. On October 23rd, there will be a panel discussion focused on solutions to the child soldier problem, featuring Ishmael Beah (author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier) and Jimmie Briggs (author of Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go to War), and Kambale Musavuli (Friends of the Congo).
The closing night film will be Thierry Michel's expose of mining operations in Congo, Katanga Business, followed by a panel with Peter Rosenblum (Professor of Human Rights Law, Columbia University) and other special guests.
Congo in Harlem 2 is supported by VDAY, the Caipirinha Foundation, and other organizations. Ticket will be sold on the basis of suggested donation and the proceeds from each event will be contributed to NGOs and organizations working in Congo.
Series Partners: Friends of the Congo, Now AfriCAN, HEAL Africa, V-Day, Cultures of Resistance, Tabilulu Productions, New York African Film Festival, Congo Global Action, Museum for African Art, Arts Engine, Yole!Africa, and First Run/Icarus Films.
Friday, October 8th, 7:30pm
Co-presented by The New York African Film Festival
A BEWITCHED LIFE
Dir. Monique Mbeka Phoba, 2004, 52 min.
Monique Mbeka Phoba, the director of the film, spent part of her childhood in Zaire (DR Congo), where witchcraft plays an integral role in people's lives. After moving to Belgium, she lost touch with this aspect of her culture, in part because her parents kept her away from it, even though they were believers themselves. Phoba embarks on a journey back to her roots, guided by an 84-year old man accused of being a witch in his childhood. Through frank discussions between Phoba and those close to her, the film follows the rhythms of its maker's search for the meaning of witchcraft in Congo.
After the movie:
Discussion with director Monique Phoba + opening night reception
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Saturday, October 9th, 7:30pm
BETWEEN THE CUP AND THE ELECTION
Dir. Monique Mbeka Phoba & Guy Kabeya Muya, 2008, 56 min.
Inspired by the 2006 elections in Congo, a group of film students sets out to make a film. They track down members of the 1974 Leopards, Zaire's national soccer squad, the first team from sub-Saharan Africa to qualify for the World Cup. After a dismal first round performance — the Leopards were outscored 14-0 in three games — the players returned home in disgrace and drifted into obscurity. The team's captain, however, has fared better and is running for political office in Kinshasa. Deftly weaving past and present, Between the Cup and the Election offers a personal and endearing study of the intersection between sport and politics.
After the movie:
Discussion with director Monique Phoba + opening night reception
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Sunday, October 17th, 7:00pm
CONGO WEEK KICK-OFF! | Co-presented by Cultures of Resistance, Tabilulu Productions, and Friends of the Congo
CULTURES OF RESISTANCE: CONGO
Dir. Iara Lee, 2010, 4 min.
A short film about Friends of the Congo and their efforts to raise consciousness about the situation and support Congolese institutions working for peace.
AN EVENING WITH KANDA BONGO MAN
A sneak peak at a new documentary about popular soukous singer Kanda Bongo Man, along with a short selection of music videos and interviews. Kanda Bongo Man will be in attendance along with Dr. Lawrence Nii Nartey, host of The African Show, New York's longest running African music program, and Lubangi Muniania, founder of Tabilulu Productions, the record label that released Kanda Bongo Man's latest album, Non-Stop Feeling.
After the movie:
Discussion with Kanda Bongo Man, Dr. Lawrence Nii Nartey (host of The African Show), and Lubangi Muniania (founder of Tabilulu Productions) + International Congo Week Kick-Off reception
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Monday, October 18th, 7:30pm
Co-presented by Icarus Films
CONGO IN FOUR ACTS:
Dir. Kiripi Katembo Siku, Dieudo Hamadi, Patrick Ken Kalala, Davita Wa Lusala, 2010, 69min total runtime.
Four short films made by Congolese filmmakers who set out to create an alternative to the snapshots of horror and desperation that have come to characterize their country.
LADIES IN WAITING
Dir. Dieudo Hamadi & Divita Wa Lusala
An embattled hospital manager negotiates collateral with a group of new mothers being held at the hospital until they can pay their medical bills.
SYMPHONY KINSHASA
Dir. Kiripi Katembo Siku
Siku takes a poetic, unflinching eye to the streets of Kinshasa, Congo's capitol. Stagnant puddles, heaps of trash, and bare electrical wires expose the city's imploding infrastructure and absence of public services.
ZERO TOLERANCE
Dir. Dieudo Hamadi
A Congolese policewoman, who is head of the Sexual Violence Unit, questions two boys accused of attacking and raping a woman on her way home from the market. Her efforts to mediate between the young perpetrators and their victim reveal both the depth of the problem and the community's resolve to address it.
AFTER THE MINE
Dir. Kiripi Katembo Siku
Siku examines Kibushi, a polluted mining town where even the youngest children are enlisted to extract the nation's wealth. The devastating conditions have trapped those who are living there, and this film tells their stories.
After the movie:
Discussion with attorney/activist Joseph Mbangu and other special guests to follow screening
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Tuesday, October 19th, 7:30pm
Co-presented by Icarus Films
STATE OF MIND: HEALING TRAUMA
Dir. Djo Munga, 2010, 52 min.
Is healing possible for individuals living in a country where over 5 million people have died? Director Djo Munga takes this question on by following Dr. Albert Pesso, a psychotherapist who has traveled to Congo to train health care practitioners in his trademarked method for healing trauma. Munga observes Pesso's ambitious efforts with patience and honesty, delicately revealing the deep and complex roots of the challenge at hand.
After the movie:
Discussion with psychologist Dr. Mark Bolden and other special guests to follow screening.
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Wednesday, October 20th, 7:30pm
JAZZ MAMA
Dir. Petna Katondolo, 2010, 30 min.
How do you talk about rape in a place where basic human rights are systematically violated? Katondolo skirts the boundaries of reality and fiction, offering a compelling portrait of Conoglese women who stand strong in their communities and denounce the violence they experience.
WEAPON OF WAR
Dir. Isle and Femke Van Velzen, 2009, 59min.
Two soldiers attempt to reconcile with their past, unveiling a seldom seen side of the brutal use of rape in DR Congo's conflict. One soldier meets his victim in an attempt to ask her forgiveness. The other, now a priest in Congo's army, confronts perpetrators and urges them to change, just as he did.
After the movie:
Discussion with Dr. Roger Luhiri (human rights advocate and former fistula doctor at Panzi Hospital), Jocelyn Kelly (gender-based violence Research Coordinator with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative) and other special guests to follow film.
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Thursday, October 21st, 7:30pm
Co-presented by Arts Engine and The Human Rights Watch Film Festival
PUSHING THE ELEPHANT
Dirs. Beth Davenport & Elizabeth Mandel, 2010, 91min.
An intimate family drama set against the backdrop of the 1998 conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pushing the Elephant tells the story of Rose Mapendo, who was separated during the conflict from her five-year-old daughter, Nangabire. Rose survived the atrocities of those years and was eventually resettled in Phoenix, Arizona, with her other children. Now, after 12 years apart, Rose and her daughter Nangabire are reunited in the US. Through the story of their reunion, we come to understand the excruciating decisions Rose made in order to survive and the complex difficulties Nangabire faces as a refugee in the US-torn between her painful past and a hopeful future.–Human Rights Watch Film Festival
After the movie:
Discussion with Directors Beth Davenport and Liz Mandel and other special guests + Reception
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Friday, October 22nd, 7:30pm
Co-presented by The New York African Film Festival
AFRICA IN PIECES
Dir. Jihan El-Tahri, 2001, 100min.
A chronicle of DR Congo from 1994-2000, spanning the First and Second Congo Wars. With astonishing access to key military and political players in the conflict, El-Tahri has created an essential historical document that remains relevant today — it was even referenced in the recent leaked UN report.
After the movie:
Panel Discussion + Reception
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Saturday, October 23rd, 2:00pm
Co-presented by Now AfriCAN
CHILD SOLDIERS AND YOUTH LEADERSHIP
A panel discussion about the use of child soldiers in the conflict in DR Congo, with a focus on solutions and youth leadership. Confirmed speakers include Ishmael Beah (author A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier) and Jimmie Briggs (author Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go to War), and Kambale Musavuli (student coordinator and spokesperson for Friends of the Congo). Moderated by Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda, founder of Now AfriCAN.
7:00PM
KATANGA BUSINESS
Dir. Thierry Michel, 2009, 120min.
Set in one of the world's richest mining regions, Katanga Business is a riveting political and economic thriller that exposes some of the key actors in the scramble for Congo's natural wealth. The impoverished residents of Katanga are pitted against a motley collection of individuals and multinationals all vying for a piece of the action, including a Belgian entrepreneur known as "The King of Katanga", a Canadian CEO attempting to save an obsolete, state-run mine from bankruptcy; a Chinese businessman who just signed the mining contract of the century with the Congolese government; and a wealthy provincial governor, praised by the masses, who struggles to keep the situation from imploding.
After the movie:
Panel discussion with Peter Rosenblum (Professor of Human Rights Law at Columbia University) and special guests + closing night reception to follow screening
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Maysles Cinema | 343 Lenox Ave/Malcolm X Blvd. | New York | NY | 10027
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