About BORN IN THE HEART OF DARKNESS
Format: Feature fim
Country: Italy and Congo
Release: 2025
Genre: Documentary
Supported by: Italian Red Cross and Subway Lab
Direction: Alessandro Pizzi
Written by: Renato Pizzi

IN PRODUCTION. RELEASE: 2025

In 1960, a newly independent Congo is torn apart by brutal civil war following the assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Amid the chaos, Giuseppe Cipolat, an Italian Red Cross doctor, returns to his homeland with a mission: to bring hope and save lives.

Sent by the United Nations to command Hospital 010 in Elisabethville, Katanga, Cipolat’s leadership turns the hospital into a beacon of humanity in the midst of violence and destruction.

This film tells the powerful story of an unsung hero and the crucial role of UN peacekeepers in one of the most significant conflicts of the 20th century. Based on the book by Renato Pizzi, it’s a gripping tale of courage, compassion, and survival.

The Book: Link