Congo Calling (2019)
- Directed by
- Stephan Hilpert
- Genre
- documentary film
- Country
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Germany, Belgium
- Runtime
- 1h 30m
- Rating
- 8.0 of 10 from 1 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
This documentary follows three European aid workers living in eastern Congo. It shows their daily work and personal lives as they face ethical and practical challenges trying to help.
observationalthoughtfulsoberunhurriedintimatedisquietinggroundedquestioning
What happens
Congo Calling is a 2019 documentary film directed by Stephan Hilpert. The film follows three European development aid workers in the crisis-ridden eastern Congo, where they face various challenges and dilemmas in their attempts to help the local population. The film explores the coexistence and cooperation between Europe and Africa, and the question of how helpful the help of the West is. The film features Raúl, a French-Spanish economist doing research on rebel groups; Peter, a German who has spent 30 years in Africa and is nearing retirement; and Anne-Laure, a Belgian whose Congolese partner becomes a high-profile regime critic after being imprisoned. The film shows their personal and professional struggles, as well as their interactions with the Congolese people, culture, and politics. The film premiered at the Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival in Saarbrücken, Germany, in January 2019, where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. It also won awards at other film festivals, such as the DOK.fest Munich, the Filmkunstfest MV, and the African Diaspora Cinema Festival. It was released theatrically in Germany in August 2019, and in the UK in October 2021. It was also broadcast on German television in November 2019, and released on DVD and VOD in March 2020. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its honest and nuanced portrayal of the complex realities of development aid in Congo. The film was also nominated for the German Documentary Award and the German Human Rights Film Award. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
Congo: Millionaires of Chaos (2019)
In Another Life (2019)
The Congo Tribunal (2017)
System K (2019)
Time is On Our Side (2019)
Congo in Four Acts (2010)
Up at Night (2019)
City of Joy (2016)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.