Stop Filming Us

Fascinating study into different perceptions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Can a Western filmmaker really capture something truthful about this complex, damaged and beautiful country? Or do Western ‘good intentions’ only cause harm and frustration? Honest and insightful, with voices from all sides.

Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema goes back to the city of Goma in the DRC, where ten years earlier he made a documentary for a Western NGO. Back then, ‘it felt like the most dangerous place on earth’. And if he is to believe Western media coverage, the DRC still is a living hell. ‘But if this is hell,’ he asks, ‘then what are all these people doing here?’

Postema follows three young Congolese photographers and filmmakers who want to capture their own images of the DRC and its people. Meanwhile, Postema himself tries to find out whether he – as a Western filmmaker – can paint an honest picture. He engages in fascinating discussions with his Congolese crew. Is he just a ‘white helper’ trying to clear his conscience? Is there such a thing as an ‘NGO mentality’? And if so: how does that mentality affect the Congolese themselves?