Fifth edition of the Congo Film Festival

The fifth edition of the Congolese film festival was held from 2 to 4 August 2019 in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo. A meeting of seventh art enthusiasts that serves as a barometer to assess the level of cinema in this country that experienced its glory days not to long ago.

The festival promoter tries to link training and filmmaking, for a better quality of production and a better audience experience. “We start with training and train young screenwriters and actors, to encourage them to do better,” said Flaverick Kouta, Festival Director.

The panel of judges was Sébastien Kamba, the first Congolese filmmaker to participate in the 1967 Cannes film festival and the 1970 Pan-African film festival in Algiers. He congratulated the new generation of Congolese filmmakers, while pointing out the reasons for the decline of the movie production.

Reaching for greater heights

Despite its difficulties, however, Congolese cinema is continuing its momentum and is trying to restore its image. During the festival, the 1st prize for directing experience and jury prize was awarded to Mikael Moude for the film “Blood Links”, whose script revolves around a conflict of interest between two families at the heart of a romantic relationship.

With more than thirty films produced nationally between 2015 and 2019 and a few distinctions on the continental scale, Congolese cinema seems to be reborn from its past. There are however still several steps to be taken in order to reach international success.