Trailer for Mama Colonel.
Colonel Honorine Munyole is a formidable woman. Heading a specialized military brigade against sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo requires it. After 15 years in Bukavu, she’s transferred to Kisangani, a city 650 kilometres away, and the hometown of award-winning filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi. Seizing upon her arrival as a foil to tell the wider story of women in Congolese society, Hamadi uses an observational style to capture Munyole immediately beset with obstacles. From useless men who can’t spell her name correctly to officers who don’t bother showing up for duty, her resolve is tested. When confronted with unspeakable crimes against women in the Six-Day War, she must first battle townspeople claiming there are false victims before she can offer any help. Resisting the impulse to name the guilty and assign blame in a region ravaged by war, Hamadi allows the fault lines of Congo’s society to speak for themselves.