Léonard Pongo

Tales from the Source, the new film by Léonard Pongo, shows the rural DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) in all its unfathomable power and diversity. The landscape is a character, as it often is in Pongo’s audiovisual work. It acts as a living entity, inspired by the traditional stories of the Kasai region. There, the land is a source of vitality and knowledge, and it shows us the eternal cycle of new life and destruction. What—modest—role does humanity play in it?

Pongo depicts the DRC sensually, evocatively, and expressively from a cyclical worldview that translates into a nonlinear, repetitive narrative. Unnatural lighting and color effects accentuate the blending between fact and fiction. Tales from the Source presents the land as an essential source of life for the entire planet, a source of consciousness from which tradition, philosophy, and insights well up.

Pongo grew up in Belgium. He currently lives and works in Brussels and Kinshasa, where he also teaches. In his film work, he seeks to create a different, allegorical view of the DRC and its traditions.

Regular screenings: 22.10 / 23-28.10 at 14h (access with C0N10UR-pass)