Lumumba (film)
Encyclopedia
Lumumba is a 2000 film directed by Raoul Peck
centred around Patrice Lumumba
in the months before and after the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC) achieved independence from Belgium in June 1960. Raoul Peck
's film is a coproduction of France, Belgium, Germany, and Haiti. Due to political unrest in the DRC at the time of filming, the movie was shot in Zimbabwe
and Beira, Mozambique
.
) the first Prime Minister of the Congo, whose tenure in office lasted two months until he was driven from office. Joseph Kasa-Vubu
(Maka Kotto
) is sworn in alongside Lumumba as the first president of the country, and together they attempt to prevent the Congo succumbing to secession and anarchy. The film concludes with Joseph Mobutu (Alex Descas) seizing power with, as the film implies, the support of the United States
.
on 14 May 2000, and was shown at various film festivals as well as having commercial releases in Belgium, France, Switzerland, the United States, and Canada. The film grossed $684,000 in the United States. It also aired on HBO.
, a former American government official and policy advisor, persuaded HBO to delete a reference to him during the airing of the film. The scene in question involves a group of Belgian and Congolese officials deciding whether to kill Lumumba. Carlucci is asked for input, and he mumbles that the US government does not involve itself in the internal affairs of other countries. At the time, Carlucci was the second secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Congo. He denies playing any role in the death of Lumumba, saying "The scene is tendentious, false, libelous; it never happened and it is a cheap shot." According to one source, the scene was deleted from the version of the film that aired on HBO. Another source says that the scene was not deleted but the word "Carlucci" was bleeped in the dialogue and the name masked in the credits. The scene remains on the DVD version of the film.
Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck is an award-winning Haitian filmmaker, of both documentary and feature films, and a political activist. Briefly, in the 1990s, he was Haiti's Minister of Culture.-Biography:...
centred around Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis...
in the months before and after the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
(DRC) achieved independence from Belgium in June 1960. Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck is an award-winning Haitian filmmaker, of both documentary and feature films, and a political activist. Briefly, in the 1990s, he was Haiti's Minister of Culture.-Biography:...
's film is a coproduction of France, Belgium, Germany, and Haiti. Due to political unrest in the DRC at the time of filming, the movie was shot in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Beira, Mozambique
Beira, Mozambique
Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. It lies in the central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungue River meets the Indian Ocean. Beira had a population of 412,588 in 1997, which grew to an estimated 546,000 in 2006...
.
Plot
The plot is based on the final months of Patrice Lumumba (played by Eriq EbouaneyEriq Ebouaney
Eriq Ebouaney is a French film actor. He is best known for his portrayal as the Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in the 2000 film Lumumba, as "Blacktie" in Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale and as "Ice" in the 2008 action film Transporter 3 in which he starred opposite Jason Statham.-Early...
) the first Prime Minister of the Congo, whose tenure in office lasted two months until he was driven from office. Joseph Kasa-Vubu
Joseph Kasa-Vubu
Joseph Kasa-Vubu was the first President of the Republic of the Congo, today called Democratic Republic of the Congo....
(Maka Kotto
Maka Kotto
Maka Kotto , is a provincial level politician from Quebec, Canada and a former member of the Canadian House of Commons. He is the husband of Longueuil mayor Caroline St-Hilaire. He is also a published author and has appeared in film...
) is sworn in alongside Lumumba as the first president of the country, and together they attempt to prevent the Congo succumbing to secession and anarchy. The film concludes with Joseph Mobutu (Alex Descas) seizing power with, as the film implies, the support of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Cast
- Eriq EbouaneyEriq EbouaneyEriq Ebouaney is a French film actor. He is best known for his portrayal as the Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in the 2000 film Lumumba, as "Blacktie" in Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale and as "Ice" in the 2008 action film Transporter 3 in which he starred opposite Jason Statham.-Early...
as Patrice LumumbaPatrice LumumbaPatrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis... - Alex Descas as Joseph Mobutu
- Théophile Sowié as Maurice Mpolo
- Maka KottoMaka KottoMaka Kotto , is a provincial level politician from Quebec, Canada and a former member of the Canadian House of Commons. He is the husband of Longueuil mayor Caroline St-Hilaire. He is also a published author and has appeared in film...
as Joseph Kasa-VubuJoseph Kasa-VubuJoseph Kasa-Vubu was the first President of the Republic of the Congo, today called Democratic Republic of the Congo.... - Dieudonné KabongoDieudonné KabongoDieudonné Kabongo was a Congolese-born Belgian comedian, humorist, musician and actor. Kabongo co-starred in the 2000 film, Lumumba, portraying Godefroid Munongo. He was the first comedian of African descent to achieve widespread popularity in Belgium.Kabongo was born in 1950 in Katanga, Belgian...
as Godefroid MunongoGodefroid MunongoGodefroid Munongo Mwenda M'Siri was a politician of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was a minister and briefly the interim President in 1961. He was involved in ethnic cleansing and in the assassination of President Lumumba.-Biography:... - Pascal N'Zonzi as Moïse TshombeMoise TshombeMoïse Kapenda Tshombe was a Congolese politician.- Biography :He was the son of a successful Congolese businessman and was born in Musumba, Congo. He received his education from an American missionary school and later trained as an accountant...
- André Debaar as Walter J. Ganshof Van der Meersch
- Cheik Doukouré as Joseph Okito
- Makena Diop as Thomas Kanza
- Mariam Kaba as Pauline Lumumba
- Rudi Delhem as General Émile Janssens
Release
The film premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival2000 Cannes Film Festival
The 2000 Cannes Film Festival started on May 14 and ran until May 25. The Palme d'Or went to the Danish film Dancer in the Dark by Lars von Trier.-Jury:* Luc Besson, President * Jonathan Demme * Nicole Garcia...
on 14 May 2000, and was shown at various film festivals as well as having commercial releases in Belgium, France, Switzerland, the United States, and Canada. The film grossed $684,000 in the United States. It also aired on HBO.
Disputed scene
The film generated some controversy in 2002 when Frank CarlucciFrank Carlucci
Frank Charles Carlucci III is a former official in the United States Government, associated with the Republican Party. The most prominent office held by Carlucci was as Secretary of Defense from 1987 until 1989 in the Reagan Administration.-Early life and career:Carlucci was born in Scranton,...
, a former American government official and policy advisor, persuaded HBO to delete a reference to him during the airing of the film. The scene in question involves a group of Belgian and Congolese officials deciding whether to kill Lumumba. Carlucci is asked for input, and he mumbles that the US government does not involve itself in the internal affairs of other countries. At the time, Carlucci was the second secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Congo. He denies playing any role in the death of Lumumba, saying "The scene is tendentious, false, libelous; it never happened and it is a cheap shot." According to one source, the scene was deleted from the version of the film that aired on HBO. Another source says that the scene was not deleted but the word "Carlucci" was bleeped in the dialogue and the name masked in the credits. The scene remains on the DVD version of the film.