Photographer and director Daniel McCabe delves into the illegal mineral trade and cyclical violence marring the Democratic Republic of Congo in his first feature-length documentary This Is Congo. The film begins in 2012, as a rebellion mounts in the North Kivu region and closely follows the rise, tumult and fall of the conflict and its direct effects on the nation and its inhabitant over a three-year journey. McCabe investigates the systemic causes of the cyclical wars, political instability and economic crisis, which have led to over five million conflict-related deaths and mass impoverishment across the nation. Stunning images of lush natural landscapes and flashbacks to Congo’s colonial and Cold War history are combined with personal stories narrated by four main characters – a whistleblower, a patriotic military commander, a mineral dealer and a displaced tailor.