La Danse de Jupiter

Kinshasa , a city of ten million inhabitants, is the crumbling capital of a failing state, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As the older generation of Kinois will tell you, “Kin-la-belle” ( Kinshasa the beautiful) has become “Kin-la-poubelle” ( Kinshasa the garbage pail) in the space of fifteen years. Nonetheless, the city still exudes a remarkable energy, whose primary form of expression is music. La Danse de Jupiter takes viewers on an exhilarating jaunt through the ghettos of Kinshasa to meet musicians who struggle to emerge from the chaos: rappers, handicapped bluesmen, griots, street children, inventors of instruments, and ndombolo musicians. Their sheer talent, energy and sense of humour in the face of adversity inspires respect and admiration. One of them is Jupiter, the charismatic leader of the band Okwess International. He’s a Don Quixote character who describes his city and his long battle to break out of the ghetto with his music. For the past 20 years, he has refined his musical style, drawing on the enormous wealth of the country’s diverse rhythms and melodies. “The DRC has 450 ethnic groups and thousands of untapped musical resources. We’re sleeping on a mattress stuffed with dollars, yet we’re starving!”

Florent De La Tullaye

Coming soon.

Renaud Barret

Renaud Barret is a graphic designer and photographer. He and Florent de La Tullaye have developed an interest in the urban cultures of African cities. While working on the documentary, the filmmakers produced records for some of the musicians they met, with the goal of introducing new talent and developing partnerships with African producers. La Danse de Jupiter is Barret’s first film. Florent de La Tullaye is a photojournalist. He has received a “Fondation de France” grant and an artist’s residence in Moscow awarded by AFAA-Villa Médicis. He self-produces and directs his projects with Renaud Barret. This is his first film, too.