Kinshasa Nights Selected for Sundance 2026 World Cinema Dramatic Competition
By CREO Films Editorial
Kinshasa Nights, the debut feature from CREO Films and director Jean-Pierre M., has been officially selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The announcement was made by the Sundance Institute on July 8th, confirming what many in the independent film community had anticipated after the film's extraordinary reception at early private screenings in Paris and Nairobi. The selection marks a historic first for a CREO Films pipeline project and cements CREO Films' position as a major force in global independent cinema.
The film — a taut political thriller set against the jazz underground of present-day Kinshasa — was shot over 47 days across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Paris with a largely Congolese cast and crew. Star Murhula Byamungu, whose performance as jazz musician Étienne anchors the film's emotional core, expressed that the recognition reflects a broader shift in how international festivals are engaging with African-originated narratives. "This story belongs to Kinshasa," he said in a statement. "Sundance welcoming it is Sundance saying yes to the city."
The World Cinema Dramatic Competition represents Sundance's most prestigious strand for non-US films, and competition this cycle includes entries from over 120 countries. Kinshasa Nights received the jury's attention for its technical ambition — particularly a sequence filmed entirely in 16mm during a live jazz performance in the Matonge district — and for the political resonance of its central conspiracy storyline. Jean-Pierre M. is set to introduce the film alongside producers from both the Kinshasa and Paris offices of CREO Films.
For CREO Films, the selection is validation of the creator-direct model: a submission pipeline that bypasses traditional gatekeepers and allows a committee of working filmmakers to assess projects on artistic and commercial merit alone. The film received its greenlight in February 2025 after being submitted through the CREO Films platform by Jean-Pierre M.'s production company. The premiere is scheduled for January 21st at the Eccles Center in Park City, Utah, with a full festival Q&A to follow.
