3 Movies Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako

Waiting for Happiness

Waiting for Happiness

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2003-01-15

Languages:

French, Hassanya, Mandarin

Countries:

France, Mauritania

Runtime:

90 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (690 Reviews)

Genres:

DramaMusic

Fullplot:

On the seacoast of Mauritania, some wait to go to Europe. Khatra, a spirited boy, wants an electric light so he can read at night. A stoic older man, Maata, tries to wire the room. Abdallah, a youth on his way to Europe, says good-bye to his mother. Nana looks back on the death of her daughter and her trip to Europe to inform the father. A girl takes singing lessons. Rooms have small windows, looking out onto foot traffic; transistor radios provide some link beyond. Huge ships anchor in the distance. The train comes through, stopping briefly. Offering a cigarette is a gesture of hospitality. Sand dunes and the ocean dominate the landscape. Hope springs amidst small expectations.

Bamako

Bamako

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2006-10-18

Languages:

French, Bambara, English, Hebrew

Countries:

Mali, USA, France

Runtime:

115 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (996 Reviews)

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

Bamako. Melè is a bar singer, her husband Chaka is out of work and the couple is on the verge of breaking up... In the courtyard of the house they share with other families, a trial court has been set up. African civil society spokesmen have taken proceedings against the World Bank and the IMF whom they blame for Africa's woes... Amidst the pleas and the testimonies, life goes on in the courtyard. Chaka does not seem to be concerned by this novel Africa's desire to fight for its rights...

Timbuktu

Timbuktu

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-12-10

Languages:

French, Arabic, Bambara, English, Songhay

Countries:

France, Mauritania

Runtime:

97 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (6598 Reviews)

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Abderrahmane Sissako (screenplay)

Kessen Tall (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Not far from the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu, proud cattle herder Kidane (Ibrahim Ahmed aka Pino) lives peacefully in the dunes with his wife Satima (Toulou Kiki), his daughter Toya (Layla Walet Mohamed), and Issan (Mehdi Ag Mohamed), their twelve-year-old shepherd. In town, the people suffer, powerless, from the regime of terror imposed by the Jihadists determined to control their faith. Music, laughter, cigarettes, even soccer have been banned. The women have become shadows but resist with dignity. Every day, the new improvised courts issue tragic and absurd sentences. Kidane and his family are being spared the chaos that prevails in Timbuktu. But their destiny changes abruptly.

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