BENDA BILILI

"The feature film Benda Bilili! follows an unlikely group of musicians in Kinshasa, capital of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. The band, Staff Benda Bililiin English, look beyondis a group of street musicians composed of four paraplegics and three able-bodied men. The core of the group is four singer/guitarists who use customized tricycles to get around. French film directors Florent de la Tullaye and Renaud Barret encountered the extraordinary group in 2004 as they played their music on homemade instruments in the area around the Kinshasa Zoo and began documenting the bands struggles to survive - through music - in the volatile city. The result is an exuberant film that follows the bands journey from the streets to the worlds stages. Official Selection London Film Festival 2010 and Official Selection SXSW 2011."