Of Mud and Blood

  • a film by Jean-Gabriel Leynaud
  • Documentary
  • 90 min
  • 2024

BLOOD AND MUD is an immersive exploration of daily life in Numbi, a small town "lost" in the mountains of Congo but important to the Western world.

Info
  • Genre

    • Documentary
  • Countries of Production

    • France / Germany
  • Language

    • (OV) French / Swahili / Kinyarwanda
    • German Voice-Over
  • World premiere

    • 21st July 2025 – Durban IFF
  • a production by

    • Pallas Film & Valdés
  • in co-production with

    • NDR
  • in association with

    • Arte
  • with the support of

    • MDM – Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, CNC, Eurimages – Conseil de l'Europe, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, la région Île-de-France, Sacem
  • World Sales

    • Rushlake Media
  • Distribution

    • tba
Synopsis

Numbi, a small village in the mountains of South Kivu, DR Congo, powers the modern world. Miners extract coltan by hand under the shadow of Nyiragongo volcano—a mineral vital for electronics. Caught between armed groups, traffickers, and military, locals endure endless war in an informal economy that yields nothing, while multinationals profit through opaque channels. An immersive look at the human cost behind digital comfort.

Crew
  • Written by

    • Jean-Gabriel Leynaud, François-Xavier Destors
  • Directed by

    • Jean-Gabriel Leynaud
  • Producers

    • Laurant Flahault, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel
  • Director of photography

    • Jean-Gabriel Leynaud
  • Editor

    • Sebastian de Sainte Croix
  • Music

    • Daby Touré
  • Postproduction Supervisor

    • Martin Kruse
Festivals
  • Durban IFF
  • SXSW London
  • Montreal International Black FF
  • The Africa IFF - AFRIFF
  • The Future is Africa III
  • Film Africa
  • Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA)
  • Trento FF
  • Vancouver International Black FF (VIBFF) – Eröffnungsfilm
  • Toronto Black FF (TBFF)
  • Halifax Black FF (HBFF)
  • Ottawa Black FF (OBFF)
  • Calgary Black FF (CBFF)
  • FIDPADOC
  • One World IDFF
  • IFF and Forum on Human Rights [FIFDH]
Awards
  • Best International Documentary / Durban IFF
  • Jury Prize / Rennes-Le-Château FIFI

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