In 1950, a Belgian missionary and film fanatic in the Congo authored some twenty films: the "Matamata and Pilipili" series. These comic heroes, Africa's answer to Laurel and Hardy, were the delight of Congolese movie-goers. Never viewed outside the continent, the films were to disappear at the close of the colonial périod. Tristan Bourlard has now recovered the original negatives in Belgium. Fifty years after their creation, this film reveals these hidden gems and tells their strange story. Matamata and Pilipili are back on the screen.


Director: Tristan Bourlard
Photography: Frédéric Decoux
Photography: Gilles Stassart
Photography: Jean-Marc Vervoort
Sound: Cosmas Antoniadis
Editing: Yves Van Herstraeten

Documentary 55 min, 1996
Beta digital 4/3 color & B/W
OV french, dutch (Sub-titles : french)

Production: Cobra films (Belgique)
Coproduction: Centre Bruxellois de l'Audiovisuel (Belgique)
Coproduction: Videocam
Coproduction: RTBF (Télévsion belge)
Distribution: CBA (Belgique)

With the support of Ministère de la Communauté Française de Belgique
With the help of MAP-TV Communauté européenne

Prices

Festival d'Amesterdam,
RECIDAK - Rencontres cinématographiques de Dakar,
TV films festival Barcelone,
Bilan Ethnographique Paris,
Festival du cinéma africono - Milan,
Festival de Bruxelles,
Festival de Gentilly,
Semaine du cinéma belge francophone.

Prices
Margaret Mead Film Festival | NEW YORK, Usa | 1997 |
> Contribution Award

Diffusions
RTBF, BRTN, Canal+ (Belgium),
Planète Câble (France),
VPRO (Holland),
SBS (Australia)