From October 27 to 29, 2025, Kinshasa welcomed a delegation from the Festival de Cannes led by its General Delegate, Thierry Frémaux.
Initiated by the Okapi Films Collective, this visit aimed to support the launch of the Congolese National Film Center. It is part of one of the festival’s core missions: to celebrate international cinema and to continue, throughout the year, meeting those who bring it to life.
Through these actions, the Festival de Cannes continues its commitment to support film industries around the world and to foster intercultural dialogue.
Three days of meetings, discussions, and cinema
Several highlights marked this visit. On Tuesday, October 28, a press conference was held in the presence of representatives from the Ministries of Culture and Communication and Media of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Okapi Films Collective, which is working to develop a national film industry, and the Festival de Cannes.
On the same day, the delegation was received at the French Embassy in Kinshasa by Mr. Rémi Maréchaux, Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside some forty professional guests, including members of APRO7, the Association of Professionals of the 7th Art in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The day continued with an evening screening of the 2025 Palme d’or winner, It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi, before a full house.
The following day, Thierry Frémaux hosted a meeting at the National Institute of Arts (INA), which is welcoming its first class of film students and now offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in film.
The delegation was then received by Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, Minister of Communication and Media, in his office.
At the end of these discussions, Thierry Frémaux praised the scope of the initiative undertaken by Congolese professionals, as well as the vitality of Congolese cinema: “The Festival aims to present films from around the world, made by artists rooted in their local realities. We believe it is important to go out and meet them, to talk to the players in the field and to discover emerging cinematic approaches. In Kinshasa, there is a strong sense of creative vitality and a desire to tell the story of the country through film. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has all the resources it needs to become a land of cinema, thanks to the political will that supports this ambition.”
