Empire of Dust (2011)

In the heart of the Katanga province, amid the remote mining town of Kolwezi, lies a camp run by CREC (Chinese Railway Engineering Company), a beacon of industry in the wilderness. Lao Yang and Eddy, two diligent workers, are stationed here with a mission as rugged as the landscape - to reconstruct a 300km lifeline of a road that links Kolwezi to Lubumbashi, the provincial capital. Lao Yang, the team's logistic maestro, shoulders the weight of ensuring the arrival of essential supplies - from construction materials to food (mainly chickens) - to their far-flung Chinese prefab camp. However, the Congolese government's promises of delivery remain unfulfilled, leaving their camp stranded in a sea of challenges. Eddy, a Congolese native well-versed in Mandarin, becomes Lao Yang's unlikely ally in the face of adversity. As their camp teeters on the brink of stagnation, Lao Yang is compelled to step out of his comfort zone. He ventures into the unpredictable world of local Congolese entrepreneurs, discovering that the road to getting construction materials is paved with more than just good intentions. What ensues is a relentless, gritty yet humorously absurd rollercoaster of negotiations and misunderstandings. As Lao Yang navigates the intricate Congolese way of deal-making, viewers are taken on a journey that's as much about building roads as it is about bridging cultural divides. The Empire of Dust is not just a tale of a construction project, but a vibrant exploration of colliding cultures, resilience, and the art of negotiation in the most unlikely places.

Empire of Dust is a documentary movie.

Empire of Dust is currently streaming on DocAlliance Films.

It is also possible to buy Empire of Dust on DocAlliance Films.