Cinema listings with film information and movie reviews
Makala
Taking its title from the Swahili word for coal, Makala was the first documentary to screen in competition in Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival and paints a heart-breaking portrait of trouble and strife in the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo. The film's subject is 28-year-old Kasongo, who lives in poverty with his doting wife Lydie. In order to earn a meagre wage, Kasongo cuts down trees by hand in order to make charcoal to sell in the nearest city. This involves a physically gruelling three-day walk with a bicycle laden with heavy sacks of charcoal. Director Emmanuel Gras follows Kasongo's story through each step of the charcoal's production, culminating in a back-breaking 30-mile journey to and from the city to sell his wares in competition with other men, who make similarly demanding round trips to provide for their families.
