Juju Factory turned out to be a good movie as well. So that marks the end of the first day. I am not watching the opening ceremony. There were unprecedented security arrangements in Kairali Theater. There were whispers about State Police Intelligence gathering information about a bomb threat. For a brief while IFFK appeared as International Film Festival of Kashmir. But nobody except the police officials appeared to have taken it seriously.
Juju Factory is written, directed, and produced by Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda. The film weaves a complex web of subjects: history of Congo, existential struggles of a writer, issues of exile and lack of roots, and problems in relationships. One can go on and on. Perhaps this film is an ideal subject for a PhD thesis. One has to know a bit of Congolese history for feeling the full gravity of the film.
The main character of the movie is Kongo Congo who lives in Matonge, the "Congolese area" in the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium. He is writing a book about Congo (the country). He is accepted by a ruthless and egoistic publisher called Desire. The writer wants to write a poetic and nostalgic account of Congo, its assassinated leaders, and its people settled in the Belgian village. But the publisher, on the other hand, pressurizes the writer to churn out a tourist-friendly book. At last the writer gets the poetic justice.
The film has won several awards. You could see why. It is impeccably crafted. The thing I liked most is the dialogues. Excerpts from the book are imaginatively interspersed with the other dialogues. But the visuals also speak more than a thousand words.
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