Mamadou Ndala–hero of Congo’s liberation war.
MAYSLES DOCUMENTARY CENTER
This is Congo: Thursday, July 5, 2018.
Maysles Cinema. 343 Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Blvd.), New York, N.Y., 10027.
Between 127th and 128th Streets. Subways: 2/3, 4,5,6, A,B,C,D to 125th Street www.maysles.org
U.S. Theatrical Premiere, Daniel McCabe, 2018, 91 min.
Showtimes: 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:45pm
BUY TICKETS
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/this-is-congo-us-theatrical-premiere-tickets-46137219666
Co-presented by Friends of the Congo
“Keeps us on the edge of our seat.” — The Playlist
“A documentary of stunning beauty and tragic violence.” — Screen Daily
“This is Congo will break your heart into pieces.” — POV Magazine
This is Congo provides an immersive and unfiltered look into Africa’s longest continuing conflict and those who are surviving within it. By following four compelling characters — a whistleblower, a patriotic military commander, a mineral dealer and a displaced tailor — the film offers viewers a truly Congolese perspective on the problems that plague this lushly beautiful nation. Colonel ‘Kasongo’, Mamadou Ndala, Mama Romance and Hakiza Nyantaba exemplify the unique resilience of a people who have lived and died through the generations due to the cycle of brutality generated by this conflict. Though their paths never physically cross, the ongoing conflict reverberates across all of their lives.
When This is Congo begins in 2012, Rwandan and Ugandan-backed M23 rebels have begun massing in the North Kivu region of Congo, threatening peace and stability. As the film progresses, we watch as the rebellion mounts in intensity and witness its effects on the film’s four major characters firsthand, while flashing back to key moments in Congo’s history. By the film’s conclusion, three years later, This is Congo has documented this latest cycle of violence from beginning to end and thoroughly unpacked the legacies of colonialism, resource exploitation and genocide that helped make the Congo what it is today.
Thursday, July 5th, 7:00pm: Helen Epstein, Bard College Human Rights Program and Author of “Another Fine Mess: America, Uganda and the War on Terror,” Claude Gatebuke, Africa Great Lakes Action Network, and Milton Allimadi, Ugandan Analyst, Black Star News.
In honor of the 58th anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Independence, June 30th, 1960.
The Friends of the Congo (FOTC) is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt an advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The FOTC was established in 2004 to work in partnership with Congolese to bring about peaceful and lasting change in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), formerly Zaire.
Official Selection in 2017. The Venice Film Festival, IDFA, DOC NYC and The Human Rights Watch Film Festival.