20 octobre - 23 octobre

Lieu / VENUE
Maysles Cinema
343 Malcolm X Blvd, New York 10027

Schedule

Thursday, October 20th, 7:30pm
Ennemie Du Temps
Muhindo Abraham, 2016, 12 min
A woman finds herself caught between future, past, and present.

La Belle at the Movies
Cecilia Zoppolletto, 2015, 67 min
Kinshasa, "Kin la Belle" is a city of 10 million people without a single cinema. The story of the city, its apartheid era, and Mobutu's neo colonialism, unfolds through the fate of its cinemas. At the same time, La Belle celebrates the Kinshasa cowboys who found their identity in the Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s. Through interviews and poetic imagery, La Belle at the Movies bears a unique testimony to an African film industry in crisis - orphaned but living in hope for a brighter future.

Followed by Opening Night Reception.

Friday, October 21st, 5:00pm
Afro Congolese Dance Class
With Nkumu Katalay, Eto'o "Mabina" Tsana, & special guest DJ
105 min
Learn some new dance moves with Congo in Harlem's musician in residence, Nkumu Katalay and Eto'o "Mabina" Tsana. The class will cover contemporary and traditional Afro Congolese forms (Contemp-tra) featuring music from a live DJ. Presented in collaboration with All in Black Fridays.

Friday, October 21st, 7:30pm
Mission: Congo
Lara Zizic & David Turner, 2013, 68 min
Televangelist, multi-millionaire and leader of the religious right, Pat Robertson is a man on a mission. During an escalating refugee crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Robertson ran a media blitz on the Christian Broadcasting Network to raise money for his charity, Operation Blessing. Over the airwaves, he gave glowing reports of the charity's relief efforts in Congo, raising donations from viewers eager to assist. But the filmmakers document a very different mission: diamond mining.

Post-screening discussion with Lara Zizic & David Turner.

Saturday, October 22nd, 12:00pm
Kibuni
Modogo, 2016, 11 min.
A writer, caught between two worlds, chooses an unexpected path.

Kolwezi On Air
Idriss Adamo, 2016, 73 min
In the city of Kolwezi, one of Congo's wealthiest mining hubs, a cadre of journalists for RTMA, the largest local television station in the region, goes all out to document what is happening in their community and country. The reporters pursue their stories with great tenacity, often putting their own personal safety at risk, all in the service of informing the public. What unfolds is multi-layered portrait of Congolese society, exposing slippery politics, special interests, on-the-ground human stories, and the die-hard investigative drive of a handful of individuals seeking the truth.

Saturday, October 22nd, 3:00pm
Special Panel Discussion: Congo on the Brink
Panelists to be announced (Panel cancelled on 10/22)
The Democratic Republic of Congo is at a critical junction. For the first time since independence, there is the possibility for a peaceful, democratic transition of power. However, the road to this historic feat is fraught with obstacles, chief among them, a president who appears to want to remain in power by any means necessary.

On December 19th of this year, President Joseph Kabila is supposed to end his second term and pass his seat to a newly elected president. Yet the Kabila administration has stalled elections, and in direct opposition to the DRC's constitution, has sought a ruling from the Supreme Court to extend his power indefinitely.

This discussion will offer analysis of the current situation, and explore the impending consequences of the Kabila administration's failure to organize elections. Particular focus will be paid to the roles and stance of Kabila's majority coalition, opposition forces, civil society, the Catholic church, Congolese youth, the UN, and international community.

Saturday, October 22nd, 7:30pm
Cocaïne Light
Patrick Kuba, 2016, 107 min.
On the gritty streets of Kinshasa, two brothers, Kousi and Koula, dream of luxury but their foolhardy ambitions land them in a nightmare. After failing to pay a debt to a hardened drug-lord, their lives are on the clock. In walks "Uncle Moussa" (played by the late Papa Wemba), who drops a kilo of opportunity in their laps - Cocaïne Light, the purest and sweetest high. Kousi and Koula intend to use it to wipe the slate clean, until a savvy prostitute named Rose intervenes… A fine example of street noir cut with a healthy dose of comedy, Cocaïne Light delivers a high worthy of its name.

Post-screening discussion with filmmaker Patrick Kuba and reception with Congolese food and live music by Nkumu Katalay & the "Life Long Project" band.

Sunday, October 23rd, 3:00pm
Book Reading: Beauty for Congo
Pauline Etim-Ubah, 15 min.
Author Pauline Etim-Ubah will discuss her forthcoming book, which profiles 20 new and emerging Congolese artists, highlighting issues of violence against women, media, and public engagement.

***Work-in-Progress Screening***
(In)Visible Cities
Gianpaolo Bucci & Beatrice Ngalula Kabutakpua, 2016, 77 min.
This film follows the journey of Beatrice while she searches for her African roots through around (In)Visible Cities the world: undervalued neighborhoods that she discovers to be very different from the images of poverty and danger they are usually connected with. There she finds answers to her questions through the stories of migrants and second generations like her.

Post-screening Discussion with filmmakers Gianpaolo Bucci & Beatrice Ngalula Kabutakapua.

Sunday, October 23rd, 6:30pm
Trans-Ville
Hubert Bonke, 2016, 6 min.
A documentary portrait of a pioneering group of female bus drivers in Goma, eastern Congo.

***Work-in-Progress Screening***
A La Courbe Du Fleuve (A Bend in the River)
Dieudonne Hamadi, 2016, 79 min.
For many years, Colonel Honorine, a veteran congolese police officer, worked in Bukavu as a key member of the Child Protection and sexual violence Unit. During her tenure there, the Unit became renowned for its effectiveness and success. But when Honorine is suddenly transferred to Kisangani, 400 miles from her home, she must start all over. There she faces a new situation - shortly after arriving, dozens of women arrive in her office, still traumatized by the acts sexual violence they experienced during kisangani's "6 Day War", a ferocious conflict between Rwandan and Ugandan troops that devastated the city in 2000. For Honorine a new challenge begins, as she fights for the recognition and support of these forgotten women.

Followed by Closing Night Reception.

Congo in Harlem is an annual series of films, artwork, panel discussions, and special events focused on the history, politics, and culture of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The goal of the series is to deepen our communities understand of DR Congo through art and dialogue. Congo in Harlem is more than just movies and discussions - it's an opportunity to discover Congo's culture, learn about it's challenges, and get involved. This series is non-profit and volunteer-run, produced by True Walker Productions, Friends of the Congo and the Maysles Documentary Center. It is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by Lower Manhattan Community Council.
For more information visit: www.congoinharlem.org