Angelina Jolie is enthusiastically promoting her advocacy-led drama Muganga, which is inspired by the true story of 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Dennis Mukwege, who treated victims of wartime sexual violence.
In the above video, obtained exclusively by Variety, Jolie, who first met rape survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2013 and has worked with Mukwege for more than a decade, talks to Mukwege about, in her words, “how men can be part of the solution to combating sexual violence.”
During our conversation, Jolie pointed out that it is essential to involve men in advocacy efforts against sexual violence. “Because I don’t know how women can do more to make the world understand them,” she says.
“I once said to some men, young men, we were talking about this issue, and they said, ‘Well, if we don’t know if we can join, but would you be welcome to join us, because we feel like we are men?’ And I said, ‘No, of course.’ Please, you’re welcome. We are partners with men and women around the world. And we want men to consider these issues as their place. ”
Mukwege, a Swahili word meaning doctor or traditional healer, has joined forces with Belgian surgeon Guy Cadière to treat thousands of women and fight sexual violence in eastern Congo. Shot on location in Gabon, Muganga stars César Award-winning actor Isaac de Bankole as Mukwege, leading an ensemble cast that includes Vincent Macaigne, Manon Breche, Babetida Sajo and Deborah Rukumuena.
The film was a huge success, winning three Valois awards at the Angoulême Film Festival in France, and grossing more than 3 million euros (approximately 350 million yen) at the box office. Produced by Cynthia Pinet of France’s Petit Poupé Productions, “Mganga” was considered for all major categories at France’s César Awards. Jolie serves as co-producer on the film.
“Mganga” was financed by Canex Creations, an initiative of African Export-Import Bank Afreximbank in collaboration with partners including Canal+, France 3 Cinéma, France Télévisions, French CNC and Scope Pictures. France’s Canal+ owns the streaming rights to “Mganga” in France and Francophone Africa. WME Independent handles worldwide sales.
