Bamako (2006)

Director:

Abderrahmane Sissako

Writer:

Abderrahmane Sissako

Release Date:

18 October 2006 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Bamako. Melé is a bar singer, her husband Chaka is out of work and the couple is on the verge of breaking up...

Plot Keywords:

Africa | Imf | World Bank | City Name In Title | Justice

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Aïssa Maïga	...	Melé
Tiécoura Traoré	...	Chaka
Maimouna Hélène Diarra	...	Saramba (as Hélène Diarra)
Balla Habib Dembélé	...	Falaï (as Habib Dembélé)
Djénéba Koné	...	La soeur de Chaka
Hamadoun Kassogué	...	Le journaliste
William Bourdon	...	Avocat partie civile
Mamadou Kanouté	...	Avocat de la défense (as Mamadou Konaté)
Gabriel Magma Konate	...	Le procureur (as Magma Gabriel Konaté)
Aminata Traoré	...	Témoin 2
Danny Glover	...	Cow-boy
Elia Suleiman	...	Cow-boy
Abderrahmane Sissako	...	Cow-boy (as Dramane Sissako)
Jean-Henri Roger	...	Cow-boy
Zeka Laplaine	...	Cow-boy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Assa Badiallo Souko	...	Witness 5
Zegué Bamba	...	Witness 1
Dramane Bassaro	...	Cowboy
Ferdinand Batsimba	...	Cowboy
Boissou Berthé
Jean Paul Boiré	...	Le gardien
Lamine Camara
Youssouf Camara	...	L'huissier audiencier
Hassan Chérif
Mariam Cissé	...	Un juge assesseur
Abdoulaye Coulibaly	...	Le vendeur de lunettes
Nana Coulibaly
Souleymane Diagouraga	...	Le malade
Oumou Berthé Diakité	...	Un juge assesseur
Samba Diakité	...	Witness 6
Alou Diarra	...	Un juge assesseur
Diakaida Doumbia
Issa Doumbia
Pasteur Ezéquiel	...	Le pasteur
Dahirou Iogo	...	L'infirmier
Bina Keita
Georges Keita	...	Witness 4
Madou Keita	...	Witness 3
Mamou Kimbiry
Sali Konaté
Basékou Koné
Mamadou Loussine Koné	...	L'enquêteur
Abdoulaye Kouyaté
Rokia Kouyaté	...	La griotte
Hamèye Mahalmadane	...	President of the tribunal
Andrew Mensah	...	Le traducteur
Roland Rappaport	...	Avocat de la defense
Aissata Tall Sall	...	Avocate partie civile
Sahl Samaké	...	Le policier
Mamadou Savadogo	...	Avocat de la defense
Abdallah Sissoko
Fatoumata Sissoko
Jiddou Sissoko
Mohamed Sissoko	...	Un enfant
N'Deye Sissoko	...	La speakerine
Ramala Sissoko
Issa Socko
Hassane Soré
Oussène Soré
Bobo Tandina
Fodé Tounkara
Souleymane Tounkara	...	Un enfant
Hawa Mamoudou Touré
Amindada Dramane Traoré
Hawa Traoré
Sanala Traoré	...	Un enfant

Directed by
Abderrahmane Sissako

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Abderrahmane Sissako

Produced by
Maji-da Abdi	....	executive producer
Joslyn Barnes	....	executive producer
Denis Freyd	....	producer
Danny Glover	....	executive producer
Arnaud Louvet	....	executive producer: Arte
François Sauvagnargues	....	executive producer: Arte
Abderrahmane Sissako	....	producer

Cinematography by
Jacques Besse

Film Editing by
Nadia Ben Rachid
Pauline Casalis

Production Design by
Mahamadou Kouyaté

Costume Design by
Maji-da Abdi

Makeup Department
Batoma Kouyaté	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Thomas Alfandari	....	production manager
Ndiouga Moctar Ba	....	production manager: Mali (as Moctar Bâ)
Dramane Traoré	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Philippe Tourret	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Christophe Bourreau	....	foley artist
Geraldine Falieu	....	assistant dialogue editor
Dana Farzanehpour	....	sound
Charles Ferré	....	boom operator
Bruno Tarrière	....	sound mixer
Christophe Winding	....	sound editor

Visual Effects by
Stephanie Boutinaud	....	visual effects coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Emmanuel Daou	....	still photographer
Makhete Diallo	....	camera operator
Thomas Nikiema	....	camera operator (as Thomas Nikéma)
Lydie Rappaport	....	still photographer
Abdourahmane Somé	....	camera operator
Gilles Viallard	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Nicolas Criqui	....	digital conformation
Frederic Jupin	....	editor: Colurus
Carlos Pinto	....	assistant editor
Philippe Reinaudo	....	digital intermediate technical director
Raymond Terrentin	....	colorist
Philippe Tourret	....	digital intermediate coordinator
Clement Zveguintzoff	....	digital conformation

Other crew
Sophie Audier	....	script supervisor
Pierre Escande	....	production assistant
Romeo Julien	....	avid conformation

Production Companies

• Archipel 33 (co-production)
• Chinguitty Films (co-production)
• Mali Images (co-production)
• arte France Cinéma (co-production)
• Louverture Films (in association with)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Fonds Sud Cinéma (participation)
• Ministère des Affaires Étrangères (participation)
• Procirep (with the support of)
• Angoa-Agicoa (with the support of)

Distributors

• Les Films du Losange (2006) (worldwide) (all media)
• A-Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Les Films du Losange (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• New Yorker Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• trigon-film (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• trigon-film (2007) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

Mali | USA | France

Language:

French | Bambara | English | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Bamako, Mali

Company:

Archipel 33

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the inset "Death in Timbuktu" "western," just before the first gunshot, a car can be seen moving between two buildings in the background. This, however, could be interpreted as intentional by the director, who was parodying non-Western interpretations of a "western" (other countries who partake in a love of westerns are Thailand and Cambodia). The child in this scene is also wearing a Nike shirt. The effect is to present the sort of low-budget, pulp film one might see in a television broadcast in Mali, while supplying a metaphor to the actual movie's plot.

An Essay on African Social Injustice Lifts off the Page

I'm hardly an expert on African economics, or social life, but this story whose political viewpoint is clearly African does what I think a movie should: it presents both sides of an issue -- in this case Mali's financial struggle and whether the World Bank and IMF should be blamed for the distress of the people.

Through a story that revolves around a court case, we see the stories of struggle of a wide range of people: mother, educator, escapee, unemployed person, and the average guy trying to make ends meet but having a difficult time.

For me, it clarified some of the issues and effects of fairly extreme poverty and lack of government prioritization for social services, health and education. It made the argument that a government may be at fault for selling out the country's future at the expense of developing a stronger base.

The bleakness, however does something bigger, or I hope it does -- I hope it gives strength to continue to fight as the producers, I think, would like.

See this. Africa is an important piece of the world and an important piece of the globalization of the world.