Mobile Cinema

Harnessing the Power of Film to Prevent
Violence & Support Conservation

 

Lack of information, the spread of misinformation, and deeply-rooted mistrust often prevent people from effectively addressing the challenges facing their communities. Invisible Children believes storytelling through film is a powerful way to challenge a society’s perceptions and behaviors and catalyze collective action for positive change. We collaborate with local and international experts and filmmakers to create short films with and for communities in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Screenings of these films, which feature professional actors from local communities, are paired with guided dialogue sessions that provide a powerful opportunity for communities to discuss the issues they face in new and imaginative ways and develop their own solutions.

Across central Africa, local communities play the most important role in preventing violence, addressing its impact, and building a safer, thriving future. That’s why Invisible Children invests in innovative, community-based solutions that build resilience at the local level and reinforce the leadership and ingenuity of local communities as peacebuilders.

How mobile cinema films are made

 

The Films

Ani Wa Sa (We Are One)
Created in partnership with Novo, SAIPED, African Parks, and African Wildlife Foundation in 2018. This film aims to build trust between communities and conservation actors to improve collaboration on efforts to protect communities and local ecosystems.

+ 353 community screenings in central Africa
+ 32,467 people reached
+ 79% of viewers surveyed say that they are willing to take action to support conservation efforts

“It is very important to protect the park. The park belongs to the community, to the entire country of DRC, and to the world. We have very special animals here that cannot be found in other places and it is important to protect them. Most of our children have never seen an elephant and we need to make sure they are protected so that [the elephants] do not go away.”

– Primary School Headmaster, Nglima, DRC. June 2019

 

They Came at Night
Created in partnership with Discover the Journey and SAIPED in 2013.  This film sheds light on the experiences of former child soldiers and seeks to spark conversation about the role communities can play in welcoming and reintegrating them.

+ 715 community screenings in CAR and DRC
+ 100,777 people reached
+ 89% of They Came At Night Mobile Cinema workshop participants report increased acceptance of returnees in their community.

“I used to hate all LRA members. From this film I have seen that some young combatants are just as much victims of the LRA as I am. They need our support to reintegrate into the community. As the hunter showed in the film, any defector will receive my compassion and support to rebuild a new life. I could not have succeeded without community members, so defectors can’t either without our support.”

– Stephanie, a young Congolese woman whose family was killed by the LRA, speaking about “They Came at Night” (2019)

 

Le Pouvoir du Dialogue (The Power of Dialogue)

Created in partnership with Bria Londo and OAZ Entertainment in 2020. This film is designed to promote dialogue as a tool for addressing conflict and support local peacebuilding efforts in areas of eastern Central African Republic (CAR) facing intercommunal tensions and violence.

It is Invisible Children’s first mobile cinema film to be entirely developed and created by Central African artists and filmmakers and to be widely distributed via micro SD cards.

 

Support Innovative Programs like Mobile Cinema

 

 

Ani Wa Sa was produced with the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Both Mobile Cinema films described here are shown in Central African communities as part of Invisible Children’s USAID-funded Community Resilience in Central Africa (CRCA) Activity. The contents of this webpage are the sole responsibility of Invisible Children and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

 

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