This is the definitive visual record of the rise and fall of Joseph Désiré Mobutu, ruler of Zaire (the Congo) for over 30 years. Drawing upon 140 hours of rare archival material found in Kinshasa, and 50 hours of interviews with those once close to him, MOBUTU, KING OF ZAIRE tells the story of the man at the heart of Central Africa's post-colonial history.

This is part two of three parts:

Part Two - AN AFRICAN TRAGEDY

Covering the years from 1969 to 1988, Part Two documents how by 1970 Mobutu was the undisputed ruler of Zaire, controlling its riches, property and people. Resistance was brutally repressed, as shown in footage of a University protest that ends in bloodshed, and other sequences of trials and executions of supposed traitors.

This period brought an economic crisis, which Mobutu responded to with "Zaireinization." Brandon Grove, the U.S. Ambassador at the time, sees this as the beginning of the "kleptocracy" -- the government confiscated businesses and properties, which Mobutu took as his own, or handed out to his cronies.

Select Accolades

• 2001 African Literature Association Film Festival
• 2000 African Studies Association Film Festival
• 1999 Best Documentary Nominee, International Documentary Association
• Special Mention, 1999 European Film Awards
• 1999 Prix Arte, European Film Academy
• 1999 New York Film Festival
• 1999 Margaret Mead Film Festival