Summary
Drama starring Ibrahim Ahmed. A herdsman and his family living in the dunes of Timbuktu find their quiet lives shattered by the zealous behaviour of the Islamists who have taken over the city.
Drama starring Ibrahim Ahmed. A herdsman and his family living in the dunes of Timbuktu find their quiet lives shattered by the zealous behaviour of the Islamists who have taken over the city.
Set in 2012 when jihadists occupied the Malian city of the title, Timbuktu remains relevant, especially given subsequent events in Daesh-controlled territories. Criss-crossing between different characters, we meet a family of goat and cattle herders, local musicians, fishmongers and imams who are all suddenly compelled to obey sharia laws that prohibit music, the playing of football, or being in a room with anyone of the opposite sex if he or she is not part of your family - things that we in the West take for granted.Mauritanian-born, Malian-reared director Abderrahmane Sissako exposes the cruelty and absurdity of fundamentalist regimes, but with a warm, surprisingly humorous touch. Seldom has a film about a subject as grim as this been so generous in its sympathy not just for the victims of a brutal system, but also the oppressors, often confused befuddled souls, who know not what they do. The ending is pretty bleak, though there's a crumb of comfort to be found in the indomitability of the human spirit.
role | name |
---|---|
Kidane | Ibrahim Ahmed (2) |
Satima | Toulou Kiki |
Abdelkrim | Abel Jafri |
Fatou | Fatoumata Diawara |
Jihadist | Hichem Yacoubi |
Zabou | Kettly Noël |
Issan | Mehdi A G Mohamed |
Toya | Layla Walet Mohamed |
Imam | Adel Mahmoud Cherif |
Chief jihadist | Salem Dendou |
role | name |
---|---|
Director | Abderrahmane Sissako |