#Cinema #DRC | Oscar-Nominated Movie 'War Witch' introduces Kinshasa Street Kid Turned Award Winning Actress

War Witch is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th annual Academy Awards. Written and directed by Canadian Kim Nguyen, War Witch,  entitled Rebelle in French, is a French-language drama centered on the story of Komona, a 12-year-old native of Sub-Saharan Africa. When the rebels suddenly invade Komona's village, they make her kill her parents. She is later kidnapped and forced to become a child soldier. After surviving a horrifying battle against the government, Komona becomes known as a war witch. She is also haunted by the ghosts of her parents who pressure her to go back to the village and bury them. Her sinister life finds some joy when she forms a friendship with a fellow child soldier called Magician. Magician later dies and Komona becomes pregnant by her commander.

As America is excited about the young star Quvenzhané Wallis, who impressed many with her performance in the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild, Africa should be proud of Congolese Rachel Mwanza for her performance as Komona in War Witch. Born in 1997, Mwanza was abandoned by her parents as a child.  When she was 6 years old, Mwanza and her siblings went to live with their grandmother, who later lost her job and told the grandchildren that they were better off in the streets. Mwanza was a street kid in a jail cell when she was cast for the movie. The producers considered her for the role of Komona after they saw the young girl in a documentary about the street kids of Kinshasa. Back then, Mwanza had never been to school and couldn't read or write.

Today, Mwanza can forsee a brighter future. She won best actress awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012. She has learned to read and write and will be the only representation of Africa at the 85^th Annual Academy Awards, where she hopes to meet Beyoncé and Rihanna.

On Sunday, February 17, Global Glimpses Film Series will feature the Oscar-nominated film at National Geographic in Washington DC for $9 per ticket.
Find more information about the event here