Cinema: « Rumba Royale » to represent DRC at the 2027 Oscars after winning Leopard of the 7th Art Award

The film Rumba Royale, directed by Yoane Dean Lenghol and Hamed Mobasser, won the Congo Leopard of the 7th Art award and was selected to represent the DRC at the 99th Academy Awards in March 2027 in Los Angeles. This marks the first time in nearly thirty years since Macadam Tribu (1997) that a Congolese film is in the Oscar race, thanks to the RDC Film Commission's selection of this historical thriller. However, this does not guarantee an official nomination, which will depend on a December preselection where 15 films will be shortlisted, and only 5 will be nominated for the ceremony.