Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death describes how King Leopold II of Belgium turned Congo into its private colony between 1885 and 1908. In the late 19th century, Leopold II uses the Congo -- part of his newly established kingdom, the Belgian Free State -- as a rubber and ivory mecca. His greed knows no bounds. Leopold's troops brutally dispose of anyone who refuses to retrieve the valuable materials, and nearly 10 million Congolese are killed through overwork or failing to comply. Using documents, reenactments and interviews with historians, this documentary chronicles Leopold's 40-year reign of terror. The Belgian government has denounced this documentary as a "tendentious diatribe" for depicting King Leopold II as the moral forebear of Adolf Hitler, responsible for the death of 10 million people in his rapacious exploitation of the Congo. Yet, it is agreed today that the first Human Rights movement was spurred by what happened in the Congo.

FESTIVALS/AWARDS

Pan African Film Festival; One World Film Festival; African Diaspora Film Festival