Events Calendar
Click here to buy tickets (In person only - see location below)
Location: Maysles Documentary Center is located at 343 Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Blvd) between 127th & 128th Streets in Manhattan.
Date: October 22, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM EST
TANTALUM
Matthias De Groof, 2026, 17 min., French, English, and Dutch with English subtitles
A chunk of tantalum – better known as coltan, extracted from the mines of eastern Congo – begins an improbable journey that ends in outer space. Through a chain of absurd and circuitous detours, its path reveals unexpected ties to mythology, technology, and the enduring logics of colonization. Blending critique with satire, the story traces the journey of the material that powers our world.
NDJIMU: DEEP COBALT
Petna Ndaliko Katondolo, 2025, 31 min. Kiswahili with English subtitles
In the depths of the Mutoshi mine in Katanga, Ndjimu follows a community of workers known as the “Rememberers” as they extract cobalt from their ancestral land under dangerous and brutal conditions. Immersing us in the darkness and claustrophobia of the mine, Petna Ndaliko Katondolo reflects on the human and environmental costs of the global demand for the minerals that power today's technologies.
MIKUBA: COBALT
Petna Ndaliko Katondolo, 2025, 63 min., Kiswahili and French with English subtitles
In the cobalt mines of Kolwezi, MIKUBA follows Mama Leance, a determined trader navigating a region dominated by multinational mining companies and the global demand for cobalt. Her journey brings her to Master Kangalele, guardian of an ancient copper-smelting practice, where she encounters a spiritual and cultural relationship to the land that offers a counterpoint to the forces of extraction.
TRAILER LINK: Tantalum: https://vimeo.com/1220846298?fl=pl&fe=ti; Ndjimu: https://vimeo.com/1162563922, Mikuba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTllLe6y3LM