Lumumba (2000): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2000, Lumumba is a drama and history film directed by Raoul Peck, running about 115 minutes.

What it’s about. The true story of the rise to power and brutal assassination of the formerly vilified and later redeemed leader of the independent Congo, Patrice Lumumba. Using newly discovered historical evidence, Haitian-born and later Congo-raised writer and director Raoul Peck renders an emotional and tautly woven account of the mail clerk and beer salesman with a flair for oratory and an uncompromising belief in the capacity of his homeland to build a prosperous nation independent of its former Belgian overlords. Lumumba emerges here as the heroic sacrificial lamb dubiously portrayed by the international media and led to slaughter by commercial and political interests in Belgium, the United States, the international community, and Lumumba's own administration; a true story of political intrigue and murder where political entities, captains of commerce, and the military dovetail in their quest for economic and political hegemony.

Who’s in it. Lumumba stars Ériq Ebouaney as Patrice Émery Lumumba, Alex Descas as Joseph Mobutu, Théophile Sowié as Maurice Mpolo and Maka Kotto as Joseph Kasa Vubu, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.3/10, Lumumba has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on OVID and rent or buy it from Apple TV Store. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Lumumba page.

If you liked it. Fans of Lumumba tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.