''Benda Bilili!'' is a 2010 documentary by Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye, produced by Yves Chanvillard and Nadim Cheikhrouha ( Screenrunner). The film follows the

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

street musician Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

group

Staff Benda Bilili Staff Benda Bilili are a group of street musicians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They used to live around the grounds of the zoo in the country's capital city, Kinshasa, and play music which is rooted in soukous, with elements of old-sc ...

, whose core members of the group are disabled due to

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

. "Benda Bilili" means "look beyond appearances" in

Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...

. Renaud Barret and partner Florent de La Tullaye first spotted the group performing on the streets of Kinshasa in 2004. The shooting lasted 5 years until the Staff Benda Bilili became worldwide acclaimed. Amid this larger arc of triumph over adversity, it's Barret and de La Tullaye's joint eye for smaller personal and environmental details that keep the film witty and surprising: the camera captures the social cut-and-thrust of urban Kinshasa, before reflecting the group's wonder at a wider world they previously imagined only in mythic terms. In Benda Bilili!, the sense of discovery between subject and audience is thrillingly mutual. Benda Bilili! received standing ovations when it opened at the

2010 Cannes Film Festival The 63rd Cannes Film Festival was held from 12 to 23 May 2010, in Cannes, France. The Cannes Film Festival, hailed as being one of the most recognized and prestigious film festivals worldwide, was founded in 1946. It consists of having films scr ...

, with the group in attendance, and performing at the

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (french: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festiv ...

opening party. The film opened in American theatres in 2011, although a planned U.S. tour in conjunction with the film had to be canceled due to

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

problems.

Synopsis

A musical documentary depicting the against-all-odds rise of Staff Benda Bilili, a dynamic band of street musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo who became beloved stars of the world music circuit. Charting the group's progress across several years, Benda Bilili! tells a real-life Cinderella story spanning humble beginnings in Kinshasa and a triumphant European tour.

Awards

* Opening Film, Directors' Fortnight 2010 * Nominated for Best Documentary at Cesar Awards 2010 * Golden Star for Best Documentary, French press critics Awards 2010 * Dublin's Audience Award, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2011

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 1625857, Benda Bilili!
Nat Geo Movies : Benda Bilili!
2010 films 2010 documentary films Creative Commons-licensed documentary films Democratic Republic of the Congo documentary films French documentary films Democratic Republic of the Congo music Disability in the arts Documentary films about African music Documentary films about people with disability Films about paraplegics or quadriplegics Culture of Kinshasa 2010s French films Disability in the Republic of the Congo