Congo Rising Welcomes You

Preparing for the future by powering the imagination through accessible education and film, Congo Rising is a 501c3 corporation.

What we are Doing

Building the Cinema Industry
Establishing power sources to facilitate internet access and file exportation

Employing the RACHEL (Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning) and Raspberry Pi to extend educational opportunities to the most vulnerable

In a few years, we want the DR-Congo to be regarded as a center of excellent film rather than a center of violence.

Tshoper with his parents at the premiere

Kinshasa:
We work with pioneering filmmakers in the DR-Congo to restore cinema to the country. (It was lost thirty years ago.)

Beyond that, we film lectures and demonstrations which can be shown throughout the country (via RACHEL) to introduce educational programs even in the most rural areas.

The Journey

Bimpa Production started with four people in Kinshasa. They began making short films and producing each other's work. Soon, they established a film festival. (In 2020, it had its 7th edition.)

For years, they met weekly according to the schedule of when electricity would be available to power their laptops and phones. Things have improved greatly, but we aim to make power accessible, reliable and expandable.

Meetings were once scheduled according to the availability of electricity.

Today, Bimpa is ready.

Expanding the Film Industry

We have recently expanded the film initiative to Mbuji Mayi, Mwene Ditu, and Lubumbashi (all in the Kasai region), where we have found remarkable self-trained filmmakers.

Unusual Conditions

In the Kasai area of the DRC, there is an unusual number of people with Albinism. We will be addressing this for instructional and employment purposes in forthcoming films.

The RACHEL

(Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning)

See www.worldpossible.org

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Showing the RACHEL in Lodja

Powered by batteries, the RACHEL is a self-contained library accessible to computers and mobile devices within fifty feet. No electricity is required to power it once it's charged

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Accessing African Storybooks on the RACHEL

The students read a story in their own language, Otetela, uploaded from the African Storybooks collection.

Film as Instruction

In this project, we film lectures and laboratory experiments to supplement in-person education. Entire medical schools are now on-line.

The symbol of the current state of the university

With the medical program cancelled, students have had to leave their families in Lodja to continue studies elsewhere or simply lose their years of study and choose a different career.

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Clinic

The government requires a laboratory/clinic for all pre-med programs at universities. Conditions at the general hospital (which serves the poor) are terrible.

Quality, Award-winning films and expert filmmaking

Heart of Africa won several significant awards, including three grand prizes in film festivals.

Heart of Africa

Heart of Africa 2: Companions

Heart of Africa

Called a "cultural revolution" in Kinshasa, this film signaled the return of cinema to the DR-Congo with its 2020 premiere. Though slowed by COVID19, it was the #1 foreign film in the USA when theaters closed.

International screenings and awards

Heart of Africa 2:
Companions

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Francophone Award for short film "Mbote" by Tshoper Kabambi

Grand prize award from Branson Film Festival (USA), Audience Choice award from LDS Film Festival, USA, and Golden Jury award from Nigeria. (The film also won "Best Foreign Film" in NYC.)

Having successfully released our first two feature films in coordination with Bimpa Productions, we are ready to move up to greater goals.
For the celebration of Patrice Lumumba's 100th birthday in 2025, we plan on releasing a feature film about him filmed in the areas where he actually lived and honoring the languages he spoke.

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Meanwhile, we train filmmakers

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We will be making a short film within the next month and will begin a feature film titled "Joseph and Simeon" within six months. Everything will be headed by Congolese filmmakers and actors and will be filmed in the Kasai area.

Sub-initiative: Albinism

Our foray into agriculture: Farms for growing herbs to create effective creams for those with Albinism.

The Kasai area of the DRC has an unusual number of people with Albinism. They are at risk of various kinds of exploitation, abandonment, and health issues related to the albinism. As we train filmmakers in Kasai, we will do two films about albinism, one a documentary in the language of this area (Tshiluba) and the other a feature.