Congolese Actor Anzor Alem Joins Cast of RUMBA ROYALE

Congolese actor and musician Anzor Alem is among the performers of the film Rumba Royale, expected in African theaters on December 12, 2025. Directed by Yohane Dean Lengol and Hamed Mobasser, the feature film, co-produced by Tosala Films and Emotive Productions with the support of Pathé Afrique, is part of a historical vein, crossing music, memory and politics.

Located in Léopoldville (present-day Kinshasa) on the eve of the independence of the Belgian Congo, the plot of Rumba Royale is built around the social and cultural tensions of the late 1950s. The story features Danel (played by Fally Ipupa), a photographer who attends a rumba club as the country prepares to tip into a new era. Through him, the film questions the role of music in the formation of a national consciousness.

The character of Drill, played by Anzor Alem, is grafted into this universe as a marginal but symbolic figure. According to News Ghana, this role is inspired by personalities who used art and culture as instruments of protest during the colonial period. The production has not yet detailed the narrative arc of the character, but evokes a "resistant presence in the shadow of the spotlight".

The cast brings together Congolese actors, including Mélanie Bokata, alongside figures better known to the general public such as Fally Ipupa. The participation of Anzor Alem, born in Kisangani and known so far mainly for his musical projects and his first roles in cinema (Beast, 2022), marks a new stage in his artistic journey.

Contacted by deadline, a member of the Production Team indicates that the choice of performers responds to "a concern for historical and cultural coherence, in connection with the world of rumba of the 1950s". The film, currently in post-production, was shot largely on heritage sites of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Presented as a historical thriller, Rumba Royale intends to intertwine the fiction and sound archives of an era when music was a vector of emancipation. The soundtrack, composed from original pieces and arrangements inspired by the Congolese standards of the decade, occupies a central place in the narration.

If the African release is set for December, symbolically coinciding with the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of Congo's independence, discussions are underway to present the film at the opening of several European festivals in early 2026. No official confirmation has been made regarding his selection in the major circuits.

For Anzor Alem, this role is part of a trajectory that oscillates between cultural commitment and cinematographic exploration. Although his name is still little known to the general international public, his participation in a work centered on African resistance narratives could help expand his recognition beyond his original borders.