TIMBUKTU
A film by Abderrahmane Sissako
2015 / Mauritania / 97 minutes
5.45 pm at Perks Mini Theater
http://konangalfilmsociety.blogspot.in/
Abderrahmane
Sissako's passionate and visually beautiful film Timbuktu is a cry from the
heart – with all the more moral authority for being expressed with such grace
and such care. It is a portrait of the country of his childhood, the west
African state of Mali, and in particular the city of Timbuktu, whose rich and
humane traditions are being trampled by fanatical jihadis, often from outside
the country.
The story
revolves around the death of a cow, affectionately named "GPS" – an
appropriate symbol for a country that has lost its way. A great deal of the
film is focused on a family of cattle herders living in the dunes outside of
Timbuktu, the paterfamilias of which, Kidane (Ibrahim Ahmed), comes under
jihadist judgment in the aftermath of a conflict with a local fisherman over
the killing of a cow.
The new
puritans appal the local imam, who has long upheld the existing traditions of a
benevolent and tolerant Islam; they march into the mosque carrying arms. Timbuktu is no longer tombouctou la
mysterieuse, the magical place of legend, but a harsh, grim, unforgiving place
of bigotry and fear.
Abderrahmane
Sissako confirms his status as one of the true humanists of recent cinema with
this stunningly shot and deeply empathetic drama. In the hands of a master,
indignation and tragedy can be rendered with clarity yet subtlety, setting
hysteria aside for deeper, more richly shaded tones. Sissako is just such a
master, and while previous films have showcased his skill at bringing magnetic
dignity to his characters, “Timbuktu” confirms his status as one of the true
humanists of recent cinema.
Abderrahmane Sissako
Abderrahmane
Sissako was born in Kiffa, Mauritania, in 1961 and raised in Mali, his father’s
homeland. When he returned to Mauritania in 1980, the emotional and financial
difficulties of adjustment made him turn to literature and film. A study grant
allowed him to attend the Institute of the University of Moscow. Le Jeu (1989),
first presented as a graduation assignment, won the prize for best short at the
Giornate del Cinema Africano of Perugia in 1991. In 1993, October was shown at
Locarno and won prizes the world over. His film Waiting for Happiness was
screened at Cannes 2002 and was winner of the FIPRESCI award for best film in
the Un certain regard section.
Sissako is,
along with Ousmane Sembène, Souleymane Cissé, Idrissa Ouedraogo and Djibril
Diop Mambety, one of the few filmmakers from Sub-Saharan Africa to reach a
measure of international influence. His 2014 film Timbuktu was selected to
compete for the Palme d’Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes
Film Festival, garnered a 2015 Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign
Language Film, and swept the 2015 Cesar Awards in France winning seven awards,
including Best Director and Best Film.
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