A Bewitched Life!

A Bewitched Life! (2005)
≤ 52' Documentaire - 52' - En distribution

Written and directed by Monique Mbeka Phoba

Filmmaker Monique Mbeka Phoba spent part of her childhood in Congo-Kinshasa, where witchcraft is entirely embedded in society. She then left her home country to live in Belgium. Her parents remained heavily dependent on these superstitions, even when living far away from their family’s roots; beliefs that they had been hiding from their own children for a long time.
One day, Monique decides to face up to these unsaid things as well as her cultural heritage, with the help of the most charming guide: doctor DIEKA, a tribal chief, 84 years old. People have always suspected him of having important occult powers.
On the spot, Monique Mbeka Phoba tries to separate the fantasy and reality of African witchcraft. What influence does the Church have on these ancestral practices?

In this film, Monique Mbeka Phoba is searching for her African identity. The documentary is a first-person narrative, trying to reconstruct her own history by interviewing her friends and family. Testimonies and archives help illustrate this subject.

Credits: 

Directed by Monique Mbeka Phoba
   
1st Assistant Camera Paul Maseke
Director of Photography Michel Baudour
Sound Engineer Issa Traore Senior
Perchman Issa Traore Junior
Sound Mix Manu de Boissieu
Location Manager Freddy Tshilumba
Editing Guido Welkenhuyzen
   
Associate Producer Aurelien Bodinaux
Produced by Gaëlle Guiny

In collaboration with
KARABA PRODUCTIONS

Technical Details: 

Genre Documentary – colors
Language French
Sound Stereo
Shot on DV Cam
Available on DVD

 

Photos from the film: