Mother of the Dunes (1997)
"Faraw!" (original title)

The story of Zamiatou, a Songhaï woman, in North Eastern Mali. With two young sons, a pretty daughter and a handicapped husband, Zamiatou struggles to survive in a remote and barren area. ... See full summary »

Director:

Abdoulaye Ascofare

Writer:

Abdoulaye Ascofare

Stars:

Aminata Ousmane, Balla Moussa Keita, Safiatou Mahamane

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Aminata Ousmane	...	Zamiatou, la mère
Balla Moussa Keita	...	Le père
Safiatou Mahamane	...	La fille
Oumar Mbarek	...	Fils 1
Hamel Mbarek	...	Fils 2
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amina Keïta

Storyline

The story of Zamiatou, a Songhaï woman, in North Eastern Mali. With two young sons, a pretty daughter and a handicapped husband, Zamiatou struggles to survive in a remote and barren area. She doesn't want her daughter to "work" for white people, but her determination will take her far from her family

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Mali

Language:

Songhay

Release Date:

24 February 2007 (Burkina Faso)

Also Known As:

Mother of the Dunes

Company Credits

Production Co:

Centre National de la Cinématographie du Mali (CNCM), Les Films de la Dune Rose

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

User Reviews

Survival in a solar society

Poor exposure quality sometimes hampers this excellent hand-made feature about the life of a single mother in Mali. In her region there are no motor vehicles and no telephones. The whole area seems pretty barren and she is struggling with troublesome sons and a wayward daughter. No one will let them have so much as a bowl of meal.

So, our heroine heads off to talk to all the contacts she knows, including the ones "from Satan". Finally, she thinks of her early suitor, a man who still values her, and he lets her have a fine donkey. She immediately uses it to fetch a skin of water and sell it to various itinerant customers. At last, she has a bag of meal and brings it back to her family. This stately circuit of hers is a powerful second act.

After an initial scare with her helpless husband, during the night she has a significant dream that we share with her. In the morning she finds that her daughter has turned over a new leaf: the pot is on the fire, and the young woman is off on the donkey selling water. It's a happy ending to a unique film, made on a shoe-string, but beautifully thought through and true-to-life. It's actually about the director's mother. What a gem this is, and no one on IMDb has ever seen it!