BENDA BILILI

Release date: March 2011 date tbc

Distribution: Trinity

Directed by: Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye

Starring: Staff Benda Bilili

BENDA BILILI! is a special treat and a rare cinematic discovery, A powerful film, which lifts the lid on the Congolese music scene, just as Wim Wenders put the musical spotlight on Cuba, the film is hotly tipped to be the next BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB.

Playing a seductive mix of Congolese rumba, James Brown-esque funk, Cuban mambo, ancestral trance and Jimi Hendrix-esque flourishes, music sensation Staff Benda Bilili is the Congolese Collective who have exploded onto the world music scene last year with their critically acclaimed debut album Tres, Tres, Fort and world tour including recent their success at Glastonbury and upcoming performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival and Womad.

The band’s incredible true-life story and the amazing inspiration behind their music is explored in BENDA BILILI! The film which took the Croisette by storm when it premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it opened Director’s Fortnight. Hailed as a tale of triumph over adversity, the film tells the extraordinary story behind the band’s meteoric rise over a five year period from the moment in 2004 when French filmmakers Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye first met the band living on the streets of Kinshasa, following them along the long and winding road, paving the way towards their European success whilst fighting to stay alive. BENDA BILILI! is a frank and intimate portrait that balances musical energy with social observation.

An inspirational, infectious, and life affirming true story, of the personal belief and overwhelming desire to overcome and look beyond life’s obstacles in order to succeed. BENDA BILILI! follows the Band’s creed; to be true to oneself, take pride, be strong, retain dignity and never give up.

Back 15.07.2010.