Daniel McCabe – This Is Congo #jedensvet2018

March 19, 2018

Daniel McCabe - This Is Congo #jedensvet2018 fredfilmradio

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Daniel McCabe, director of the film This Is Congo.

An interview with Daniel McCabe, director of This Is Congo, which, having premiered at last years Venice Film Festival, was featured in the program of the 2018 One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival. The documentary not only looks at the everyday violence and conflict in Congo but also provides us with some background and historical info on a situation that, as McCabe tells us in this interview, “often stays out of the news airwaves.” Besides giving us an overview of the confusing situation in Congo and the three protagonists of his film, McCabe talks about his own journey as an outsider coming into the country to make the film.

This Is Congo: With fairy-tale beauty and endless violence, Congo is full of contrasts, all of which continue to have a strong impact on the country’s history. Using the story of four different protagonists, the film shows the harsh present, which is still haunted by the bloody past. When photojournalist Daniel McCabe first visited the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008 to document the war in the eastern part of the country, he witnessed incomprehensible brutality set against the beautiful backdrop of pristine nature. According to his description, Congo is “Narnia on acid “. McCabe decided to tell the completely unfiltered, unabridged story of this country, not focusing on only a few areas. He describes the world’s longest-running conflict through the eyes of four protagonists: a whistle-blower with a unique insight into politics; a commander of the Congolese army, who, with his unit, defended the city of Goma against the rebel invasion of 2012; a woman who trades in blood minerals; and a shoemaker in a refugee camp.