It is a Mauritanian -French drama film. Directed & co -written by Abderrahmane Sissako. Staring Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara, Hichem Yacoubi, Kettly Noel.
The film centers on the brief occupation of Timbuktu Mali by Ansar Dine, and is partially influenced by the 2012 public stoning of an unmarried couple in Aguelhok.
Right from the first frame we are plunged into the desert & the people with rifles. The rules of not singing, no football, women advised to wear hand gloves & socks.
It is not a film about jihadism but about the vibrant cultures it can eradicate, if it continues to spread.
Shot in Qualata, Mauntania it was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It won the prize of the Ecumenical jury & the Francois Chalais Prize. Nominated for the Academy awards, it was named the best film at the 11th Africa Movie Academy awards,
In 2017, The New York Times ranked it 12th best film of the 21st century so far.
Awards are fine. But what we need is reform. If all understand the message hidden, it would set the world free.
Asian Entertainment 