Thierry Michel

Two years in the life of a Belgian college, in Seraing, which tries to put back on track students with chaotic journeys, confronted with violence and social injustice.

After Mobutu, King of Zaire and Congo River, the Belgian director Thierry Michel pursues his exploration of Central Africa. His new documentary, entitled Katanga Business, is a kind of political economic thriller, which takes place in this south-eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the world’s richest regions in mining resources. While the inhabitants of Katanga continue to live in extreme poverty, multinationals are rivalled by China, newly arrived with its billions of dollars.

In 1960, the announcement of social regression measures decided by the Belgian government triggered a wildcat strike by workers. Albert and Fred were at the forefront of a struggle that promised to be heated and risky. The great Walloon strike shook Belgium to its core. Violence, demonstrations, internationalists, red flags, Walloon flags. For five weeks, the country was paralyzed by a movement that often took on the air of an insurrection.

« Steel running through our veins » immerses us in the world of Liège's steelworkers, revealing an exceptional industrial and human saga. This captivating documentary explores the destinies forged by iron and fire through personal testimonies and previously unseen archives spanning 50 years. It highlights the social struggles and resilience of a community in the face of economic challenges. More than just a reflection on the past, this essential film questions our present and future, emphasizing the importance of solidarity and collective memory.

For 25 years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been ravaged by a war that has largely been ignored by the media and the international community. The victims run into the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. The perpetrators of these crimes are countless: rebel movements, but also armies, those of the Congo and neighboring countries.

In April 1945, a group of Nazis and collaborators gather in Oslo to board a submarine headed for South America, aiming to avoid justice. Kidnapped Doctor Guilbert is forced to accompany them.

Winner of the Sakharov Prize 2014, Doctor Mukwege is internationally known as the man who mends thousands of women who have been raped during the 20 years of conflicts in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the poorest countries on the planet, despite its extremely rich sub-soil. His endless struggle to put an end to these atrocities and denounce the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators is not welcome. At the end of 2012, the Doctor was the target of another attempt on his life, which he miraculously survived. Threatened with death, this doctor with an exceptional destiny now lives cloistered in his hospital in Bukavu under the protection of the United Nation peacekeepers. But he is no longer alone in his struggle. The women to whom he has restored physical integrity and dignity, stand beside him, true activists for peace, hungry for justice.