Lily's Story — Charles Thomas

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), inhuman conditions within its vast mining industry, and endemic corruption at the highest levels of government are hardly uncommon. But when native son, Jean Amani, rises to the role of minister of mines in the mineral rich Katanga province, he vows to advocate for workers' rights and expose the industry's unscrupulous dealings. Jean's investigations are quickly curtailed when he dies in a car crash. It's just another soon-forgotten tragedy in this region of the world. But not to Lily, Jean's daughter with his wife, Laura, a descendent of the Janssens, one of the region's founding Belgian families. To cope with her grief, Lily enrols in journalism school in Montreal, Canada, where she befriends André Fortin, a freelance photojournalist, and Logan Taylor, scion of the Taylor Media Group. The trio teams up to make a documentary about the mining industry in the DRC. Lily's sole motivation, however, is uncovering what truly happened to her father. Lily's Story is a tale about romance and power, one reveals the profound injustices often suffered by citizens in resource-rich African countries.