Benda Bilili! (2010)

Directed by

Renaud Barret, Florent de La Tullaye

Genre

documentary film

Country

Democratic Republic of the Congo, France

Runtime

1h 26m

Rated

PG

Rating

6.3 of 10 from 19 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows a group of street musicians in Kinshasa who are disabled by polio. They form a band and make music together despite their difficult circumstances.

heartfeltupliftinggrittyintimateupbeatobservationallivelyinspiring

What happens

Benda Bilili! is a 2010 documentary by Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye, produced by Yves Chanvillard and Nadim Cheikhrouha (Screenrunner). The film follows the Kinshasa street musician group Staff Benda Bilili, whose core members of the group are disabled due to polio. "Benda Bilili" means "look beyond appearances" in Lingala. Renaud Barret and his partner Florent de La Tullaye first spotted the group performing on the streets of Kinshasa in 2004. Shooting lasted 5 years. Benda Bilili! received standing ovations when it opened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, with the group in attendance, and performing at the Directors' Fortnight opening party. The film opened in American theatres in 2011, although a planned U.S. tour in conjunction with the film had to be canceled due to passport problems. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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