City of Joy (2016)

City of Joy: Directed by Madeleine Gavin. With Christine Schuler-Deschryver, Denis Mukwege Mukengere, Eve Ensler, Jane Mukunilwa. This film follows the first class of students at a remarkable leadership center in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region often referred to as “the worst place in the world to be a woman.” These women have been through unspeakable violence spurred on by a 20 year war driven by colonialism and greed. In the film, they band together with the three founders of this center: Dr. Denis Mukwege (2016 Nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize), radical playwright and activist Eve Ensler (“The Vagina Monolgoues”) and human rights activist, Christine Schuler-Deschryver, to find a way to create meaning in their lives even when all that was meaningful to them has long been stripped away. In this ultimately uplifting film, we witness the tremendous resilience as these women transform their devastation into powerful forms of leadership for their beloved country.

“Iu0026#39;ve always said that Netlfix nearly constantly puts out some of the best documentaries and docu-series, and this is another accolade to be proud of. An interesting documentary in the sense that it conveys a wide range of emotions, from crying about the horror these women experience, to crying out of joy that they are strong enough to face it and still not give up. Congo has been a nasty place for a very long time, from its dozens of pre-colonial civil wars, to its horrifying compliance in the slave trade, to what we see in this documentary happening today. Congo has faced many civil wars and regular wars in recent years, with a few mass starvations and genocides, so one should understand what they are getting into when they watch this film. Its a tough one, but in a way, a beautiful one.”