Joseph Kumbela (born 1958) is an actor and filmmaker from the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

who has won awards for his acting.

Life and Career

Joseph Kumbela was born in 1958. He has lived in Switzerland since 1980. He started his career as an actor in France and the USA. At the

FESPACO The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It ...

awards in 1993 he won the prize for Best Actor for his performance in the comedy ''

Gito l'ingrat ''Gito, l'ingrat'' (, "Gito the Ingrate") is a 1992 Burundian comedy film directed by Léonce Ngabo Léonce Ngabo (born 1951) is a Burundian film director. His 1992 film '' Gito l'ingrat'' was the first Burundian feature film.

'' (Gito the ungrateful) directed by Leonce Ngabo of

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

. In this film Gito, a student from Burundi and also a talented couturier in Paris, decides to return home. With his diploma in hand and full of plans about his career, he leaves his French companion Christine promising to bring her to Burundi later. He cannot find work, but meets up with his old childhood sweetheart. Then Christine arrives without warning and discovers what is going on. The two women join together to teach Gito a lesson. Josef Kumbela has written and directed a number of short films since 1994 using his Geneva-based production company. His 1998 film ''L'étranger venu d'Afrique'' (The stranger from Africa, or Feizhou Laowai) was the first African film to be shot in China. It looks at a romance between Lulu, an African student, and a Chinese woman, and depicts the clash of cultures.

Filmography

References

External links

* Living people 1958 births Democratic Republic of the Congo film directors Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriates in Switzerland 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people {{Africa-film-director-stub