Directors: Florent de la Tullaye & Renaud Barret;
Origin: Democratic Republic of Congo/France, 2010;
Running time: 90 minutes
Our opening film isn’t from South Africa, but we’re so excited to have scooped its Bristol premiere that we couldn’t resist including it in the programme!
Benda Bilili! ("looks aren't everything") documents the career of Staff Benda Bilili, a band of seven paraplegic Congolese musicians living in poverty on the streets of Kinshasa. Directors Florent de la Tullaye and Renaud Barret started following the band in 2005 and continued to do so as their global popularity began to grow. After meeting Belgian record producer Vincent Kenis, the band released Très Très Fort on Crammed Discs in 2009 and have been touring a string of European dates since, including both Glastonbury and WOMAD 2010 (to name but a few). The film - about both the lives and music of the band and its members - received a standing ovation at Cannes, where it was chosen as the opening film of the Director's Fortnight. With a soundtrack of the highest calibre, Benda Bilili! will get you dancing in the aisles and in the mood for the Afrika Eye 2010 after party, featuring a local Congolese band to help you let your hair down and move your feet!
Watch the trailer here and check out our YouTube Channel for a clip of Staff Benda Bilili performing live!
on Friday 29th October at the Watershed cinema, Bristol.
Stay tuned for details of how to book tickets by signing up to our mailing list!
