Congo. A villager named Kabwita dreams of a better future for himself and his family. His greatest, his only hope is the strength of his arms and his indomitable will. This documentary-inflected movie, which pulls the viewer into the everyday life of a simple person, was awarded the main prize during Cannes’ Critics’ Week.
Congo. A villager named Kabwita dreams of a better future for himself, his wife, and his little girls. His greatest, his only hope is the strength of his arms and his indomitable will. He decides to take an exhausting journey to a town 50 kilometers away to try to sell the fruit of his labor. He begins to truly understand the value of hard work and the price he must pay to accomplish his dreams. The talented director takes advantage of his experience in documentaries, drawing the viewer into the everyday life of a simple person. The vivid camerawork tightly following the main character introduces a physically intense feeling of the experience as it is lived. Made with nonprofessional actors and inspired by Kabwita’s actual situation, this unobtrusive yet powerful film was awarded the main prize during Cannes’ Critics’ Week.
Ivana Novotná
96 min / Color, DCP
Director Emmanuel Gras
/ Screenplay Emmanuel Gras
/ Dir. of Photography Emmanuel Gras
/ Music Gaspar Claus
/ Editor Karen Benainous
/ Producer Nicolas Anthomé
/ Production Bathysphère Productions
/ Cast Kabwita Kasongo, Lydie Kasongo
/ Sales Les Films du Losange
Emmanuel Gras (b. 1976, Cannes, France) is a French cameraman and director. He studied camerawork at Louis Lumière College in Paris. Professionally, he started out as a documentary DOP but soon began to work on his own projects. In his movies he emphasizes the visual component of films that take up current social issues. He has made a number of short films and documentaries: the docs Bovines (2011, César nomination for Best Documentary) and 300 Souls (300 hommes, 2014, co-dir. Aline Dalbis) and the shorts La motivation! (2002), Une petite note d´humanité (2003), Tweety Lovely Superstar (2005), Soudain ses mains (2008), and Être vivant (2013).
Les Films du Losange
7/9 rue des Petites Écuries, 750 10, Paris
France
Phone: +33 144 438 710
E-mail: [email protected]
Emmanuel Gras
Film Director
Nicolas Anthomé
Producer
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