Rumba Rules, New Genealogies
IDFA 2020

Rumba Rules, New Genealogies

Rumba Rules, nouvelles généalogies
Sammy Baloji, David Nadeau-Bernatchez
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada, Belgium
2020
108 min
World Premiere
Festival history

When Brigade Sarbati and his orchestra perform, it’s a blast of pure passion as they fuel their Congolese rumba with infectious Cuban rhythms, and African vocals and dancing. This nocturnal partying might seem casually improvised, but there’s hard work going on behind the scenes.

Rumba Rules, New Genealogies offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa, with impromptu shots drawing the viewer into jam sessions on plastic chairs, and the quest for perfection at the studio. Shout outs are added to new numbers, in honor of the departed, family members, or sponsors—but which names should you choose? And the important thing isn’t whether the drummer is working up a sweat, it’s whether he understands the rhythm well enough.

We follow several of the artists and learn more about them: their lives in Congo and the many years of musical training that are the foundation of the orchestra’s success. “Together, we’re like family,” explains one of the members of the orchestra. Here, music is a connective force generated by creativity and raw energy.

Credits
Production
    Paysdenvie,
    Twenty Nine Studio & Production,
    Mutotu Productions,
    Idea
    Paysdenvie,
    Twenty Nine Studio & Production,
    Mutotu Productions,
    Idea
Co-production
    Festival d'Automne à Paris ,
    Mu.ZEE (Ostende)
    Festival d'Automne à Paris ,
    Mu.ZEE (Ostende)
Sound
    Huitième Merveille,
    Dolet Malalu
    Huitième Merveille,
    Dolet Malalu
Sound Design
    Simon Gervais
    Simon Gervais
Music
    Brigade Sarbati Orchestra,
    Papa Wemba Shungu,
    Franco Luambo Makiadi
    Brigade Sarbati Orchestra,
    Papa Wemba Shungu,
    Franco Luambo Makiadi
World Sales
    Twenty Nine Studio & Production,
    Paysdenvie
    Twenty Nine Studio & Production,
    Paysdenvie
Screening copy
    Twenty Nine Studio & Production
    Twenty Nine Studio & Production

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