Congo Music Film
KLARA GRUNNING-HARRIS
Congo Music Film is a documentary which explores the origins and political impact of Congolese music culture. There is a Congolese music tradition where two rival musicians perform simultaneously with their respective bands, trying to animate the crowds, until one of them quits. The winner plays longest. The film's contestants will be two of Africa’s greatest performers: Werrason a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and often quoted as being the most powerful man in the Congo after the president, and his band Wenge Musica Maison Mere, vs. Koffi Olomidé, the fashion-guru-bad-guy with the golden voice, and his band Quartier Latin. They have competed for the last 20 years. Other bands featured will be Papa Wemba, JB M’Piana, Fally Ipupa, Ferré Gola, Celeo Scram and Bill Clinton. The “grande dame” of Congolese music, Mbilia Bel, will also appear in a comment on the masculine dominance in the scene.
The beauty of Congolese music will be woven together in a lyrical ballad of the stars, archival sequences and excursions, while appearances from western musicians help relate Congolese music to more worldwide phenomena (thus, making it look less exotic). Not just "another concert film," this artistic documentary will use innovative, generally reductionist filming techniques to dive deep into this very particular Congolese contemporary music aesthetic, in all its craziness and absurdities. While one observes the differences in character between our two main protagonists, expectations will be built up to see them in the final clash.
The outreach and means of distribution is world wide and cross platform, with the ultimate goal of garnering a very diverse, cross-cultural and generational audience. Much emphasis will be put on reaching younger audiences and less developed areas in the world - as well as interactive communities to continue the discussion way beyond the film itself.
KLARA GRUNNING-HARRIS: Producer Emmy Award winning Grunning-Harris is a freelance production, distribution, financing consultant and executive producer for film, TV and media world-wide. Recently she was selected to become the commissioning editor for documentary and short films at the Danish Film Institute full time. Has expertise in international co-production, content and editing for distribution and financing, versioning for different market and works closely to customize strategies for all aspects of production. Recently Grunning-Harris was the Vice President and International Commissioning Editor, Acquisitions, Co-production & Fiction Executive of KUDOS Family, a start up media co-production and distribution company based in Stavanger, Norway, and branch in Berkeley CA, where she buys and sells films, creates strategies for world wide distribution and outreach. She also co-produces and co-finances independent productions with the intension to guide them into a successful and profitable distribution situation. Prior, she worked as the Coordinating Producer for ITVS International (The Independent Television Service) for just over nine years, to bring international and domestic documentaries, series and dramas to US television broadcast and digital platforms (among others, Lion in the House, New Americans, Be Like Others, Please Vote For Me, My Country My Country etc.). She was responsible for negotiating co-production and distribution agreements, manage the programs through completion (schedule, budget and editing), reversion and delivery to multiple US broadcasters according to required specifications including legal and technical standards.
Klara’s background as an independent producer, director and cinematographer for the past 15 years, include these credits among others, Gumby Dharma, Emmy Winning feature documentary directed by Robina Marchesi (Audience Award at SLO Int’l FF, Hot Springs Doc FF, Mill Valley FF, KQED-Public TV, Sundance Channel), What Do You Believe?, feature documentary directed by Sarah Feinbloom (Mill Valley FF, and Public TV). Looking For Buddha, narrative feature by Olin Hyde & Peter Nilsson, several commercials, industrials, web-interactives and music videos for bands like Fingertight (Columbia Records/MTV2) and Machinehead (Roadrunner Records/MTV2 Headbangers Ball). Klara has been invited to judge media funds, partake in film festival panels and juries (BAVC, DocAgora/IDFA and HotDocs, Crossover Nordic/Nordic Panorama, Emmys, SF Asian-American Int’l Film Festival, SF Women’s Int’l Film Festival etc.) and to co-chair a local mentorship program for emerging filmmakers in the San Francisco Bay Area (BWIFTM) as well as teach producing and filmmaking at local community support organizations like SF Film Society (formerly FAF’s programs), SOTA, community college and guest lecture at various institutions. Klara holds a BFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in Film, TV and media production. Klara is currently co-producing four international feature documentaries (The World Before Her (Canada/India/US), The Pirate Bay (Sweden/US), The Sarnos (Sweden/US), From Within, Without (US)) as well as a fiction feature film entitled The Road to Minnesota. Grunning-Harris is also consultant on the following projects; Congo Music Film, Turkey Creek Project, Regarding Susan Sontag and several other US and International projects. Recently Grunning-Harris also joined an impressive list of industry members to become part of the San Francisco Film Society’s board of advisors.