La Chapelle

Jean-Michel Tchissoukou

Congolese filmmaker Jean-Michel Tchissoukou’s comedy, set in 1930s Congo, depicts the tensions between African pre-colonial religions and the Catholic Church over the construction of a chapel. Preceded by Francis Y. Brown’s Jabari.

DIRECTOR
Jean-Michel Tchissoukou
YEAR
1980
COUNTRY
Congo
RUNTIME
84 minutes
LANGUAGE
Lingala and French with English subtitles

Q&A with historian & cultural anthropologist Lubangi Muniania on May 9 

Set in 1930s Congo, director Jean-Michel Tchissoukou’s comedy La Chapelle humorously portrays the conflicts between African traditions and the Catholic Church during the construction of a chapel. Tensions rise as the village priest clashes with a young teacher, while the villagers navigate the establishment of a school and chapel, frustrating the parish priest.

Preceded by
Jabari
Francis Y. Brown, 2023, Ghana, 6m
English
New York Premiere 

Jabari, an orphan raised by seer Hem-Netjer, grows to uncover the mystery behind his birth and the demise of his parents. He takes on mystical giants summoned from the dark realms of the underworld in the course of fulfilling his discovered purpose and saving the innocent people of Aksum.

Co-presented with Villa Albertine

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