Bozeman Magazine

On Sunday, March 4th, at 7pm at the Emerson Center, The Bozeman Doc Series continues with the critically acclaimed new documentary, This is Congo.

Over the last two decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a mineral-rich Central African country, has seen more than five million conflict-related deaths, multiple regime changes and the wholesale impoverishment of its people. Yet, though this ongoing conflict is the world’s bloodiest since World War II, little is known in the West about the players or stakes involved.

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.

Featuring exceptional cinematography by photographer/filmmaker Daniel McCabe, the film world-premiered at the recent Venice Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim.

“A gripping look at Congo’s troubled history…Its not every day that a documentary shakes the ground as surely as the average blockbuster, or keeps us on the edge of our seat like a good thriller.” The Playlist

“A devastating exposé…Brilliant and tragic, This Is Congo will break your heart.” Hammer to Nail

“Beautiful and disquieting…[an] absorbing study…blisteringly effective…likely to open many an outside viewer’s eyes. The film soars when it plays up to McCabe’s grounding as a photographer, exploring the rapturous natural landscape, bustling incidental street life and rattling war-zone chaos of the Congo with wholly cinematic vigor.” Variety

Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets are available at the door or before the show at Cactus Records and Movie Lovers. Tickets are also available online at www.bozemandocseries.org, where you can also buy Season Passes and 7-film punch cards, learn more about the series, and view trailers for upcoming films. The series will continue every other Thursday through April.