Marc-Henri Wajnberg

Marc-Henri Wajnberg studied cinema at INSAS (Institut Supérieur des Arts), Brussels. He is a scriptwriter, director, actor and producer. His productions are eclectic: in all, he has produced 3,000 very short films, including the famous Clap collection, broadcast internationally. His short film LE RÉVEIL, with Jean-Claude Dreyfus, won a prize at Cannes and received 22 awards worldwide. He has directed and produced a number of documentaries including OSCAR NIEMEYER, AN ARCHITECT COMMITTED TO HIS CENTURY, which was also awarded in several international festivals. He directed two feature films; JUST FRIENDS and KINSHASA KIDS (selected in Venice, Toronto, Busan, New York...). The world premiere of his first VR film, KINSHASA NOW, took place at the Venice Film Festival 2020.

Director’s statement

“For ten years, I have made several films with street children in Kinshasa. There are now around 35,000 survivors. For those I have filmed I contribute as much as I can to care for them, integrating them into centers recreating family ties. I participate in financing their education so that they can learn to read and write. Today, some of them have jobs, but most importantly, they all have plans for the future. I met Chancelvie during a previous film shoot, when she was 15 years old and had been living on the streets since she was 8. She fascinated me with her extraordinary inventiveness and her boundless energy.
After the end of the shoot we stayed in touch and we decided to make a film once she told me about her pregnancy. Chancelvie is the pivotal character surrounded by the other street girls and Congolese artists. Through art, these street children find inspiration in their imagination and freedom. In this documentary, there is no commentary on my part in order to give voice to Chancelvie, Shekinah, Dodo and others. They show impressive strength in their ability to fight and overcome their daily difficulties with a stunning, unconcerned joie de vivre.”