During a research trip in the Congo, Swiss theatre-maker and filmmaker Milo Rau came across a sickening incident: in the mining village of Matarule, he filmed the bodies of some thirty women and children. During the past two decades, six million people have been similarly slaughtered in the Congo. Rau attempts to reveal the mechanisms that have made this genocide possible. His hypothesis is that mining for valuable minerals has led to exploitation, civil war and genocide. The only parties to profit from this are the large international companies who have taken over the local communities.
As the government failed to act, Rau set up his own Congo Tribunal. The jury is made up of politicians, mine workers, lobbyists and (independent) experts from the region. It is chaired by the co-founder of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Together, they examine the causes of the genocide in the Congo, in a tribunal that is not officially recognised, but offers a perfect reflection of a global humanitarian crisis.
Film details
Productielanden
Germany, Switzerland
Jaar
2017
Festivaleditie
IFFR 2018
Lengte
100'
Medium/Formaat
DCP
Taal
English, French, German, Lingala, Swahili
Première status
None
Director
Milo Rau
Screenplay
Milo Rau
Production company
Fruitmarket, Langfilm
Producer
Arne Birkenstock / Fruitmarket, Olivier Zobrist / Langfilm