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The Democratic Republic of Congo has endured 20 years of devastating violence. Rape has been used as a weapon of war to destroy community and access precious minerals. Congo is often referred to as “the worst place in the world to be a woman.” "City of Joy" tells a different story of the region. The film focuses on Jane, a student at a center where women who have suffered unimaginable abuse join together to become leaders. We also meet the founders of the center: a devout Congolese Doctor, a Congolese activist, and a radical N.Y. playwright. The film weaves between joy and pain as these individuals band together to demand hope in a place so often deemed hopeless.
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Following the great explorers’ footsteps, “Congo River” takes us up one of the world’s greatest river basins, from its mouth to its source. All the way along its 2,716 miles, we pass places that testify to the country’s tumultuous history, and encounter the ghosts of those who shaped its destiny: Stanley, the explorer, Leopold II, the colonizer, Mobutu, the despot. We also cross paths with an entire people – boatmen guiding their dugout canoes, fishermen, traveling salesmen, military personnel and rebels, women and children – searching for light and dignity.
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In West Africa during the late 17th century, King Adanggaman leads a war against his neighboring tribes, ordering his soldiers to torch enemy villages, kill the elderly and capture the healthy tribesmen to sell to the European slave traders. When his village falls prey to one of Adanggaman's attacks, Ossei manages to escape, but his family is murdered except for his captured mother. Chasing after the soldiers in an effort to free her, Ossei is befriended by a fierce warrior named Naka.