Mabele Na Biso(Our Land)
Petna Katondolo, 2013, 33 min.
French, Topoke and Lingala w/ English subtitles
'Aid'
and 'Independence' are terms that riddle the rhetoric of Western
engagement with and imagination of Africa. But what is independence in
our increasingly globalized world? Mabele Na Biso
("Our Land") takes us on a journey through time and space to explore
one region's commitment to autonomy and self-determination. Through the
unlikely story of a radio station that has been modified to run on a
generator fueled by locally produced palm oil, we see a different story
of African independence - one rooted in a history of defiance that has
become a model of community engagement.
Preceded by Sarah
TD Jack Muhindo, 2013, 10 min.
French and Lingala w/ English subtitles
Sarah
is a documentary film about a young woman of 26 years. She lives in a
poor neighborhood in Kinshasa with her family and aspires to become a
great businesswoman. To get there, she works simultaneously running a
street restaurant, hair salon and tailor shop. Every day she is a
restaurateur, hairdresser and seamstress.
Followed
by post-screening discussion with filmmakers Petna Ndaliko Katondolo
& Cherie Rivers Ndaliko, film subject Samual Yagase, and special
guests.
+ Reception with Congolese food and live musical performance by Isaac Katalay.
Monday, October 21st, 7:30pm
Berlin 1885: The Division of Africa
Joel Calmettes, 2011, 84 min.
French w/ English subtitles
In
1885, representatives from the Great Powers of Europe came together in
Berlin to set up guidelines for the division, colonization and economic
exploitation of the continent of Africa. No African representatives were
invited. Central to the negotiations of the "Berlin Conference on
Africa" was the establishment of Congo as a free trade zone under the
personal rule of Kind Leopold II of Belgium. Rich archival and scholarly
material, plus dramatic reenactments based on transcripts of the
Conference proceedings provide an insightful window into the events that
would launch the Scramble for Africa and a turning point for millions
by the hands of a few.
Followed by post-screening discussion with special guests TBA.
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| Trailer |
Tuesday, October 22nd, 7:30pm
The Irresistible Rise of Moise Katumbi
Thierry Michel, 2013, 83 min.
French and Swahili w/ English subtitles
Wealthy
Congolese businessman, Moïse Katumbi, is not only governor of the
African province of Katanga, rich in precious minerals, but also
president of the area's famous soccer team, "TP Mazembe." Media, sport,
politics and business are all the ingredients of the cocktail concocted
by this new African messiah named Moïse. He is the symbol of a new
leadership that gains power through ballot boxes and elections, as well
as being a symbol of a democracy based on business and populism. A rival
of Congo's President, Joseph Kabila, will Moïse one day be elected the
country's leader?
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| Trailer |
Wednesday, October 23rd, 7:30pm
Documentary Shorts Showcase:
A collection of short documentary films by Congolese directors
Marché Koweit
Paul Shemisi, 2013, 15 min.
French and Lingala w/ English subtitles
Congolese Dreams
Philippe Cordey, 2013, 25 min.
French w/ English subtitles
Kin Kiesse
Mweze Ngangura, 1982, 26 min.
French and Lingala w/English subtitles
Followed by post-screening discussion with director Mweze Ngangura.
Thursday, October 24th, 7:30pm
Co-presented by California Newsreel
Pièces d'Identités (Pieces of Identity)
Mweze Ngangura, 1998, 93 min.
French w/ English subtitles
A
Congolese king arrives Brussels in search of his long-lost daughter.
What masquerades as a simple fable raises some of the most troubling
issues of identity facing people of African descent in the ever-widening
Diaspora of the late 20th century.
Followed by post-screening discussion with director Mweze Ngangura.
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| Trailer |
Friday, October 25th, 7:30pm
Vol Spécial (Special Flight)
Fernand Melgar, 2011, 100 min.
French w/ English subtitles
Each
year, thousands of men and women in Switzerland are imprisoned without
trial or sentence. Simply because they stay in the country illegally,
they may be deprived of liberty for up to eighteen months before being
deported. Filmmaker Fernand Melgar immersed himself for 9 months in the
administrative detention centre Frambois in Geneva, one of the 28
deportation centers for the paperless in Switzerland, many of whom have
been established in Switzerland for years. From Jeton, a Kosovo Roma
refugee, to Serge from Congo, they pay their social insurance
contributions and send their children to school... until the day the
immigration authorities arbitrarily decide to imprison them to ensure
their departure. The problem is that no inmate is willing to leave the
country voluntarily. Thus begins a relentless administrative procedure
to force them to leave.
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| Trailer |
Saturday, October 26th, 3:00pm
Panel Discussion: United Nations Peace Framework
On
February 24, 2013, eleven African nations came together in Addis Ababa
to sign the UN-drafted Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework
Agreement in a new effort to bring stability to the Great Lakes region. A
response to escalated violence in eastern Congo, the Framework
Agreement outlines mechanisms aimed at addressing both regional and
national obstacles to peace. But after 14 years of the UN mission in
Congo, how is this initiative different from past efforts? How will this
peace agreement work alongside current military actions and political
negotiations? What are the effects on the local population? A special
panel of experts with extensive experience in the Great Lakes region
will offer their perspectives and answer audience questions.
Speakers:
Severine Autesserre, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Barnard College
Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, foreign policy analyst and journalist
Moderator:
Milton Allimadi, Editor, Black Star News
Saturday, October 26th, 7:30pm
La Vie Est Belle (Life is Rosy)
Mweze Ngangura and Benoit Lamy, 1987, 80 min.
French w/ English subtitles
Legendary
Congolese musician Papa Wemba plays a poor country boy with music in
his heart and big dreams. He travels to the city, where he falls in love
with second wife of a prominent club owner. Can he win her hand and
fulfill his dreams of being as singer?
Followed by post-screening discussion with director Mweze
Ngangura
+ Reception with live musical performance by Isaac Katalay & the Life Long Band.
Sunday, October 27th, 12:00pm
Film Voyagers Children's Program (Encore Presentation)
Bobo & Kipi
4 episodes, 50 min. total
Join
Bobo the bonobo, Kipi the okapi and their many friends in their magical
village in Congo and discover an extraordinary world where every
adventure offers a unique opportunity to learn. Bobo & Kipi is a fun-filled, action-packed, music-laden chidren's TV show incorporating puppets, animation and live-action.
Sunday, October 27th, 3:00pm
Fiction Shorts Showcase:
Three short films by emerging Congolese directors from Kinsasha.
Mbote!
Tshoper Kabambi, 2012, 30 min.
Lingala w/ English subtitles
Olongo
Clarisse Muvuba Mwimbu, 2012, 24 min.
Lingala w/ English subtitles
Dubious Customer
Patrick Ken Kalala, 2012, 30 min.
Swahili w/ English subtitles
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