801-592-4515 - (USA) 243-999-926-452 (Congo)
Congo Rising
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
In a few years, we want the DR-Congo to be regarded as a center of excellent film rather than a center of violence.
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.
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
Francophone Award for short film "Mbote" by Tshoper Kabambi
Grand prize award from Branson Film Festival (USA), Audience Choice award from Zion Film Festival, USA, and Golden Jury award from Nigeria. (The film also won "Best Foreign Film" in NYC.)
Joseph and Simeon (post production)
Filmed in Mbuji Mayi with cast and crew from that area
The principal photography is done, but editing and sound will be completed in the USA.
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.
Coming in Aug. 2025: Shinkolobwe, Los Alamos, Hiroshima: A Conference on the Exploitation of the DR-Congo for the Atomic Bomb and an exploration of how international cooperation can usher in peace.
"The United States has only very poor uranium in moderate quantities. There is some good ore in Canada and the former Czechoslovakia, while the most important source of Uranium is Belgian Congo."
Letter from Albert Einstein to FDR, 1939
