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Location: Maysles Documentary Center is located at 343 Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Blvd) between 127th & 128th Streets in Manhattan.

Date: October 24, 2026

Time: 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

CONGO BOY

Rafiki Fariala, 2026, 91 min., Sango, French, Lingala, and Kiswahili with English subtitles

Set in Bangui, Central African Republic, CONGO BOY follows 17-year-old Robert, a Congolese refugee who dreams of becoming a musician while navigating the demands of school, work, and caring for his four younger siblings. When his parents are imprisoned, Robert is forced to become the head of his family, all while trying to avoid the militias that control much of the city. A music competition offering a substantial prize gives him a possible way out, but pursuing his dream means balancing his responsibilities to his family with his determination to build a future of his own. Drawing on director Rafiki Fariala's own experience as a Congolese refugee in Bangui, the film explores displacement, family, and the liberating power of music against a backdrop of political instability.

Born in 1997 in Uvira, Kivu (DRC), FARIALA ALOLEA ALBERT arrived as a young child in the Central African Republic, where his parents had sought refuge due to the war. He began singing at a very early age. In 2013, he recorded his very first track, “Je Suis Élève” which became a hit, and adopted his stage name: Rafiki - Rh2o. He discovered filmmaking in 2017 during a documentary course organized by Ateliers Varan in Bangui. Alongside his economics studies at the University of Bangui (graduating with a bachelor’s degree and a Master’s in Human Resources Management), he directed WE, STUDENTS! a feature-length documentary selected for the 2022 Berlinale (Panorama section) which won numerous awards in festivals (two awards at Cinéma du Réel in Paris, and awards in Milan, Tarifa, Lisbon, Carthage, Fespaco). CONGO BOY is his first feature film.

NKUMU KATALAY is a Kinshasa-born, New York–based musician, dancer, choreographer, educator, and cultural activist. A multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, he draws on traditional and contemporary Congolese music and dance, blending rumba, soukous, funk, percussion, and Afro-diasporic influences. He is the founder of the Life Long Project Band and the Afro Congolese Dance program, which promote Congolese culture through music, movement, storytelling, and education. Katalay has performed at venues including the Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Museum of Modern Art, and has collaborated with artists such as Fally Ipupa, Koffi Olomide, Gims, and members of Soukous Stars. His work uses art as a means of cultural preservation, community building, and social change.

TRAILER LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjtQ2gX_5ck