Matamata & Pilipili
In 1950 in the Belgian Congo, a Flemish missionary, a film enthusiast, made about twenty films: the "Matamata & Pilipili" series. These African "Laurel & Hardy" characters delighted Congolese audiences. Completely unknown outside of Africa, these films disappeared at the end of the colonial era. Tristan Bourlard rediscovered the original negatives in Belgium. Fifty years later, the film tells this strange story and unveils these hidden treasures. Matamata and Pilipili are back on the screen.
Credits
Director: Tristan Bourlard
Cinematographer: Frédéric Decoux-Gilles Stassart
Sound: Cosmas Antoniadis
Editor: Yves Van Herstraeten
Production
Cobra Films / Videocam
Co-production
CBA (Centre de l'audiovisuel à Bruxelles) / RTBF
With the support of
French Community of Belgium / Flemish Community / MAP-TV of the EEC
Reviews
Matamata & Pilipili_Matamata_and_Pilipili.pdf
Awards
Award at the Margaret Mead Film Festival - New York - 1997
Broadcasts
RTBF, BRTN, Canal+ (Belgium), Planète Câble (France),
VPRO (Netherlands), SBS (Australia)
South Africa
Festivals
IDFA Amsterdam, Dakar Film Encounters
Barcelona TV Film Festival
Bilan Ethnographique Paris
Milan African Film Festival
Festival de Brussels
Gentilly Film Festival
Week of French-language Belgian cinema in Algiers