Les Choix
Democratic Republic of Congo, 19 mins, Digital
In-person & Online
Cristell is eager to take her place in history as the developer of a vaccine for malaria, but when her professor makes it clear that she cannot advance unless she sleeps with him, she is torn between accepting what feels like an ultimatum: do what he says or jeopardize her future.
Director: Hallel Mujingila Diakalenga
Writer: Hallel Mujingila Diakalenga
Producer: Mehaka Luintel
Director of Photography: Andrew Kirschenbaum
Editor: Hallel Mujingila Diakalenga
Composer: Bryan Garbe
Cast: Eunice-Nice Mupa, Gabin Fuan, Daniel Karul, David Belau, Gody Ngosa
Contact: Hallel Mujingila Diakalenga, hm2803@columbia.edu
Program C
Friday, May 10th at 9:00 PM
About the Writer/Director
Hallel Mujingila Diakalenga was born in Lubumbashi, a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She came to the U.S. at age 8 and grew up in Boston, MA. She has wanted to be a filmmaker since she started watching Disney Channel and imagining herself as part of the cast. Film and television provided a world to escape to and friends to adventure with. In 2019, she graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the film program. Later in that same year, she began her graduate program for a Master’s degree at Columbia University’s School of the Arts.
Hallel is working towards a goal of one day working as a staff writer on TV, as well as having screenwriting and directing job descriptors. Being a part of the filmmaking process gives her purpose as she loves collaborating with peers and seeing them do what they’re passionate about.
She strives to tell stories that speak to both African and American sensibilities. She hopes that her films can have the same effect on others by inspiring them and bringing them the solace that she received in moments of boredom and loneliness.
About the Producer
MEHAKA is a Nepalese Writer and Producer from Kathmandu, Nepal. She holds a BSC in Filmmaking from Whistling Woods International in India and is currently an MFA candidate in Film Producing at Columbia University. Prior to Columbia, she worked as an assistant director, screenwriter and producer in the Indian and Nepalese film industries. She has also worked as a film curator for the student film festival CILECT. Born at the cusp of the Nepalese civil war, she firmly believes in the power of cinema to inspire social change. Her work primarily focuses on themes of identity, mental health, womanhood, and queerness.