Viva Riva!

Viva Riva!
Viva Riva!
	US film poster
Directed by	Djo Tunda Wa Munga
Written by	Djo Tunda Wa Munga;
Produced by	Michaël Goldberg; Steven Markovitz; Djo Tunda Wa Munga; Boris Van Gils;
Starring	Patsha Bay; Manie Malone; Hoji Fortuna; Fabrice Kwizera; Marlene Longage; Alex Herabo; Diplôme Amekindra;
Edited by	Yves Langlois; Pascal Latil;
Release date	10 September 2010 (TIFF);
Running time	96 minutes
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Languages	Lingala ; French

Viva Riva! is a 2010 Congolese crime thriller film written and directed by Djo Tunda Wa Munga. Starring Patsha Bay, Manie Malone, Fabrice Kwizera, Hoji Fortuna, Marlene Longage, Alex Herabo & Diplôme Amekindra, the film received 12 nominations and won 6 awards at the 7th Africa Movie Academy Awards, making it the most awarded film in the history of the AMAA's up to that date. ^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Its awards included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Production Design. Viva Riva! also won at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards for Best African Movie.^[6]

The film was notable for being the first Congolese film produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo in over 28 years.^[7]

Plot

The film takes place in Kinshasa during a fuel shortage crisis. Riva, a small-time thug arrives in his hometown with a truckload of fuel he has stolen from Cesar, an Angolan gangster who is hot on his trail. To track down Riva, Cesar blackmails a local military officer, the Commandant, who enlists the help of a local informant. Meanwhile, Riva becomes infatuated with Nora, the girlfriend of a local gangster named Azor. With the help of a local boy who earns his trust, Riva pursues Nora, setting off a chain of events that leads to deadly confrontations for nearly all the main characters.

Cast

Patsha Bay - Riva
Manie Malone - Nora
Hoji Fortuna - Cesar
Fabrice Kwizera - Jason
Marlene Longage - The Commandant
Alex Herabo - J.M.
Diplôme Amekindra - Azor
Nzita Tumba - Mere Edo
Romain Ndomba - G.O.
Jordan N'Tunga - Anto
Tomas Bie - Jorge
Davly Ilunga - Joaquin
Joseph Kashala - Pere de Riva

Reception

Reviews from critics were largely positive, including from international media such as the New York Times,^[8] The Hollywood Reporter,^[9] Variety,^[10] Le Figaro,^[11] and Le Monde.^[12] On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 87% based on reviews from 60 critics. The site's consensus states: "Vibrant and violent, Viva Riva is a stylish, fast-paced crime drama.".^[13] On Metacritic it has a score of 65% based on 16 reviews.^[14]

References

^ BellaNaija.com (30 March 2011). "Viva La Riva! DRC's "Viva Riva!", Nigeria's "Aramotu" & Ghana's "Sinking Sands" win at the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards – Photos & Winners List". BellaNaija. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^ Lee, Maggie (11 February 2011). "Viva Riva!: Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
^ Meza, Ed (13 October 2010). "Music Box nabs 'Viva Riva!' in U.S." Variety. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
^ "Viva Riva! (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
^ Enyimo, Martin (18 December 2010). "Le long métrage " Viva Riva " a inauguré la salle de projection de la Halle de la Gombe". AllAfrica.com (in French). AllAfrica Global Media. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
^ "MTV Base Africa".
^ "The first feature film out of the DRC in over 28 years". africasacountry.com. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (9 June 2011). "'Viva Riva!'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^ Lee, Maggie (11 February 2011). "Viva Riva!: Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^ Koehler, Robert (27 September 2010). "Viva Riva!". Variety. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^ "Viva Riva !". Le Figaro (in French). 17 April 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^ ""Viva Riva !" : feux croisés dans Kinshasa convulsée" (in French). 18 April 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^ "Viva Riva!". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^ "Viva Riva! Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

External links

Viva Riva! at IMDb

[1] BellaNaija.com (30 March 2011). "Viva La Riva! DRC's "Viva Riva!", Nigeria's "Aramotu" & Ghana's "Sinking Sands" win at the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards – Photos & Winners List". BellaNaija. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

[2] Lee, Maggie (11 February 2011). "Viva Riva!: Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 1 March 2011.

[variety-3] Meza, Ed (13 October 2010). "Music Box nabs 'Viva Riva!' in U.S." Variety. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 1 March 2011.

[4] "Viva Riva! (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 1 March 2011.

[5] Enyimo, Martin (18 December 2010). "Le long métrage " Viva Riva " a inauguré la salle de projection de la Halle de la Gombe". AllAfrica.com (in French). AllAfrica Global Media. Retrieved 1 March 2011.

[6] "MTV Base Africa".

[7] "The first feature film out of the DRC in over 28 years". africasacountry.com. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2024.

[8] Catsoulis, Jeannette (9 June 2011). "'Viva Riva!'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

[9] Lee, Maggie (11 February 2011). "Viva Riva!: Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

[10] Koehler, Robert (27 September 2010). "Viva Riva!". Variety. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

[11] "Viva Riva !". Le Figaro (in French). 17 April 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

[12] ""Viva Riva !" : feux croisés dans Kinshasa convulsée" (in French). 18 April 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

[13] "Viva Riva!". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 April 2022.

[14] "Viva Riva! Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

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