VIVA RIVA!

Year: 2010
USA: Music Box Films
UK: Metrodome Distribution
Cast: Patsha Bay Mukuna, Manie Malone, Hoji Fortuna, Alex Herbo, Marlene Longange, Diplome Amekindra, Angelique Mbumba, Nzita Tumba, Jordan N’Tunga
Director: Djo Munga
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
Language: French / Lingala (English subtitles)
USA & UK: 96 mins
USA Rated: R for strong sexuality, graphic nudity, brutal violence, language and some drug use
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong sex, sex references, violence and language
USA Release Date: 10 June 2011 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 24 June 2011 (Limited Release)


Synopsis

VIVA RIVA! is a gangster thriller about a charismatic criminal, Riva (Patsha Bay Mukuna) is a small time operator who has just returned to his hometown of Kinshasa, Congo after a decade away with a major score: a fortune in hijacked gasoline. Loaded with wads of cash at his disposal, Riva’s out for a good time, and is soon captivated by a beautiful night club resident, Nora (newcomer Manie Malone), the kept woman of a local gangster. Into the mix comes an Angolan crime lord Cesar (Hoji Fortuna) relentlessly seeking the return of his stolen shipment of gasoline.

Congolese director Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s Kinshasa is a seductively vibrant, lawless, fuel-starved sprawl of shantytowns, gated villas, bordellos and nightclubs and Riva is its perfect embodiment. Co-starring Paris based Manie Malone, who makes her screen debut, and Hoji Fortuna, New York-based and 2011 African Academy Award winner.

The irony of the petrol thief Riva’s journey is that he lives in a nation widely recognised to be the richest on the planet in terms of untapped natural resources (in excess of $23 trillion), and yet the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo are amongst the poorest on the planet with the second lowest GDP per capita. Yet the film steers entirely clear of politics, keeping the focus firmly on the story. VIVA RIVA! treats its audience to an imaginative portrait of vibrant rogues competing on the streets of Kinshasa.

Winner - African Movie Academy Awards 2011
Best Film
Best Director â€" Djo Tunda Wa Munga
Best Supporting Actress â€" Marlene Longange
Best Supporting Actor â€" Hoji Fortuna
Best Production Design
Best Cinematography

Winner - PAN African Film Festival 2011
Best Feature Film

2010 Toronto International Film Festival (Official Selection)
2011 Berlin Film Festival (Official Selection)
2011 South By Southwest Film Festival (Official Selection)