“There is what Congolese novelist In Koli Jean Bofane refers to in the film as an ever-evolving 'algorithm of Congo Inc': an algorithm perfected somewhere between Washington, London, Brussels and Kigali, where Congo Inc. has become the global supplier delivering strategic minerals to take war into space. The thesis of Congo Inc. is that every major war largely consumed and was able to be fought thanks to minerals that were provided by the Congo. In the First World War it was rubber; during the Second World War the high-grade uranium; in Vietnam it was the copper of the endless bullets that were shipped there; and now the strategic materials to take war into space.” (Johan Grimonprez)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
United Nations, 1961: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez explores a moment when jazz, colonialism, and espionage collided.
What's On
Additional Screening
The Penguin Lessons The Penguin Lessons
Peter Cattaneo
Thursday, 11. 09. 2025 / 16:10 / Main Hall
This moving dramedy about the unlikely friendship between a cynical Englishman and an adorable penguin was adapted by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) from a true story.
Wisdom of Happiness Wisdom of Happiness
Barbara Miller, Philip Delaquis
Thursday, 11. 09. 2025 / 18:30 / Main Hall
With disarming wit, the Dalai Lama reflects on balancing millennia-old Tibetan Buddhist traditions with the contemporary values of our globalised society that now struggles to overcome violence and war while standing on the brink of environmental collapse.
Sex Sex
Dag Johan Haugerud
Thursday, 11. 09. 2025 / 20:30 / Main Hall
Sex, Love and Dreams—not necessarily in that order—are the chapters in a loosely connected trilogy set in contemporary Oslo. In Sex, an intimate conversation between two men sparks a witty and refreshingly honest reflection on sexuality and gender roles in our society.