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IFFR 2025

EXCLUSIF : L'affiche et quelques clips de The Tree of Authenticity, sélectionné dans la Compétition Tiger de l'IFFR

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- Le premier long du photographe et artiste visuel Sammy Baloji explore l'histoire coloniale de la République démocratique du Congo et ses implications écologiques

EXCLUSIF : L'affiche et quelques clips de The Tree of Authenticity, sélectionné dans la Compétition Tiger de l'IFFR

Cet article est disponible en anglais.

Nestled in Africa's largest rainforest lies one of the many graves of the West's efforts to control nations and nature - one of the world's largest tropical agricultural research centres. Located on the banks of the Congo River, the Yangambi INERA Research Station was a booming scientific centre in its heyday. Today, it is an amalgam of jungle and ruin, where questions of knowledge, power over it, and access to it linger.

The Tree of Authenticity [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film
]
, the debut feature by Congolese photographer and visual artist Sammy Baloji, the world premiere of which is taking place in the Tiger Competition of the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam (30 January - 9 February), recounts the stigma of ecological destruction that began at the time of colonisation through the voices of two emblematic scientists who worked at Yangambi between 1910 and 1950: Paul Panda Farnana and Abiron Beirnaert. Their stories embody the legacies of colonial modernity and trace the origins of today's environmental injustice.

In the words of the director, “The story of Yangambi is not just about the Congo; it is the story of the global economy and its consequences for people and the environment. Yangambi's geographical location and its database linked to the climatological observation of the equatorial forest become a space through which I metaphorically question the consequences of human actions and our relationship with nature. The film explores the contemporary challenges of the Anthropocene, raising questions about shared heritage, the impact of colonisation on nature, and the responsibilities of Congolese, Western and global societies to find a way out of the ecological crisis.”

Sammy Baloji lives and works between Lubumbashi and Brussels. Since 2005, he has been exploring the memory and history of the Democratic Republic of Congo. His work is an ongoing investigation into the cultural, architectural and industrial heritage of the Katanga region, as well as questioning the impact of Belgian colonisation. His critical view of contemporary societies serves as a warning of the ways in which cultural clichés continue to shape collective memory, allowing social and political power games to continue to dictate human behaviour.

The film has been produced by Rosa Spaliviero for Twenty Nine Studio & Production (Belgium), in co-production with Last Dreams Production and Shelter Prod and in association with ARTE France - La Lucarne.

Check out our exclusive poster and clips below:

(Traduit de l'anglais)

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