Rumba Royale is a 2025 Congolese historical thriller film co-directed by Yohane Dean Lengol and Hamed Mobasser, starring Fally Ipupa, Mélanie Bokata, Olivier Loustau, Cécile Djunga, Patrick Kabundi, Hénoc Kyombo, and Anzor Alem. The film is set in 1959 in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), just before the Democratic Republic of Congo gained its independence from Belgium. It explores the interplay between political awakening and the cultural scene of Congolese rumba, portrayed through the vibrant nightlife of the city.
Synopsis Set in the final year of colonial rule, Rumba Royale unfolds in a rumba nightclub in Léopoldville. As independence approaches, locals and colonial figures clash over politics, art, and identity. A bohemian photographer, Danel (played by Fally Ipupa), navigates these tensions while documenting the changing times.
Cast Fally Ipupa as Danel Mélanie Bokata as Olive Olivier Loustau as Jean-Pierre Cécile Djunga as Amandine Patrick Kabundi as Sese Hénoc Kyombo as Albert Anzor Alem as Drill Diane Uwamahoro as Louise Coline Fouquet as Delphine
Production The film was produced by Kevin Dwyer (Rodeo Chameleon Productions), Marie G Sambay, Eric Mukuna, Eric Kasongo (Emotive Productions), Emmanuel Lupia (Tosala Films), Alain Ilunga Tshovo (1986 Corp.), and Ronny Law. Pathé Touch Afrique, formerly Pathé BC Afrique, also co-produced and holds pan-African distribution rights.
According to the directors, the film was conceived as a tribute to Congolese culture and African cinema. Mobasser and Lengol described it as “a love letter to the Congo, Congolese rumba, and African cinema.”
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