10 Best Movies from Democratic Republic of the Congo to Watch First

10 Essential Films from Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ranked native cinema in Democratic Republic of the Congo’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. Viva Riva!

   2010

   Returning to Kinshasa after years away with a hijacked fortune in stolen gasoline, a small-time hustler throws himself into a whirl of nightlife, women, and easy money — while dangerous men close in to reclaim what he took. A slick, sexy Congolese crime thriller.

2. 

   2. Downstream to Kinshasa

   2020

   Two decades after the Six-Day War devastated their city, its maimed survivors — long ignored — pile onto a riverboat down the Congo to Kinshasa to demand recognition and compensation. A moving documentary of dignity and persistence.

3. 

   3. La Vie est Belle

   1987

   A poor village musician comes to Kinshasa dreaming of stardom and scrapes his way up through the city's vibrant music scene, with romance and rivalry in his path. A joyful rags-to-riches musical comedy featuring the great Papa Wemba.

4. M

   4. Macadam Tribu

   1996

   Four friends drift through the bars, boxing gyms, and back streets of a teeming, intoxicating African city, chasing dreams and dodging trouble. A vivid, energetic urban drama.

5. 

   5. Pièces d'identités

   1998

   An aging Congolese king travels to Brussels in search of the daughter he sent to be educated in Europe long ago, confronting a bewildering city and hard questions of identity and belonging. A warm, wry comedy about culture and diaspora.

6. 

   6. Moseka

   1971

   An early Congolese documentary offering a portrait of its subject and the life and culture of the young nation. A rare record from the era's cinema.

7. J

   7. Juju Factory

   2006

   A Congolese writer in Brussels's Matongé district works on a book about the neighborhood while his editor pushes him to spice it up with exotic clichés, forcing him to confront memory, exile, and identity. A layered, reflective drama.

8. K

   8. Kin Kiesse

   1982

   This documentary paints a portrait of Kinshasa, capital of paradoxes and excess, guided by the naïve vision of the celebrated painter Chéri Samba through the city's nightclubs and contradictions.

9. T

   9. Tango Ya Ba Wendo

   1992

   This documentary celebrates the Congolese rumba pioneer Wendo Kolosoy and the golden age of the music he helped create, tracing its enduring hold on Kinshasa. A tribute to a musical legend.

10. 

    10. Kinshasa Makambo

    2018

    This documentary follows three young Congolese activists through the turbulent protests of 2016, as they risk everything demanding democratic change and the departure of a long-ruling president. An urgent, on-the-ground record.