Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

Bamako (The Court)

Original title: Bamako
  • 20062006
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
72,584
26,538
Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
Drama
Bamako. Melé 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 ha... Read allBamako. Melé 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 Ba... Read allBamako. Melé 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, ... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
72,584
26,538
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Abderrahmane Sissako
    • Writer
      • Abderrahmane Sissako
    • Stars
      • Aïssa Maïga
      • Tiécoura Traoré
      • Maimouna Hélène Diarra
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Abderrahmane Sissako
    • Writer
      • Abderrahmane Sissako
    • Stars
      • Aïssa Maïga
      • Tiécoura Traoré
      • Maimouna Hélène Diarra
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 72Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 2 nominations

    Photos16

    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Aïssa Maïga
    Aïssa Maïga
    • Melé
    Tiécoura Traoré
    • Chaka
    Maimouna Hélène Diarra
    • Saramba
    • (as Hélène Diarra)
    Habib Dembélé
    • Falaï
    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
    Danny Glover
    • Cow-boy
    Elia Suleiman
    Elia Suleiman
    • Cow-boy
    Abderrahmane Sissako
    Abderrahmane Sissako
    • Cow-boy
    • (as Dramane Sissako)
    Jean-Henri Roger
    • Cow-boy
    Zeka Laplaine
    • Cow-boy
    Assa Badiallo Souko
    • Witness 5
    Zegué Bamba
    • Witness 1
    Dramane Bassaro
    • Cowboy
    • Director
      • Abderrahmane Sissako
    • Writer
      • Abderrahmane Sissako
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Oh, Sun
    7.3
    Oh, Sun
    Timbuktu
    7.1
    Timbuktu
    Dry Season
    6.9
    Dry Season
    Anything Goes
    6.2
    Anything Goes
    Waiting for Happiness
    6.7
    Waiting for Happiness
    Delphine's Prayers
    7.2
    Delphine's Prayers
    Hyenas
    7.4
    Hyenas
    Chez jolie coiffure
    6.7
    Chez jolie coiffure
    Two Faces of a Bamiléké Woman, The (2018)
    6.9
    Two Faces of a Bamiléké Woman, The (2018)
    Moolaadé
    7.6
    Moolaadé
    Incident at Oglala
    7.6
    Incident at Oglala
    O Movimento das Coisas
    7.4
    O Movimento das Coisas

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      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.
    • Quotes

      Avocat partie civile: We cannot throw Paul Wolfowitz into the Niger. The caimans wouldn't want him.

    User reviews20

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    2/10
    An important Issue That Deserves a Much Better Forum
    This film has it's heart in the right place, but unfortunately, it isn't much of a film. It is more of a documentary under the guise of a narrative. Bamako is basically a newspaper op-ed piece put on celluloid. However, your average well-researched op-ed piece is far more cogent and concise than anything presented here. The filmmaker is trying to relay to the viewer the hardships of African life, in particular the country of Mali, due to the unethical practices of the IMF, G8, and World Bank, by using the setting of a mock trial against the aforementioned. There is an extra 10 minutes dispersed throughout the film that makes a half-hearted attempt at a narrative plot, and a bizarre Hollywood Western-style shootout scene, where the director seems quite pleased with his own cleverness (hence, the frequent Godard comparisons).

    Of course, as the film begins, what and who is on trial is never explained, but as we know by now, the French refuse to spoon-feed their audience.

    There are many impassioned arguments made, but they are often long-winded, delivered in a shrill monotone (one that becomes quite easy to tune out after awhile), and very light on specifics. The last point is the most frustrating of all since there is a very well-reasoned specific case to be made against the institutions on trial here. Unfortunately, all we get in 2 hours is that the IMF and G8 are evil oppressors and should forgive 3rd-World debt. We are given no more than the occasional hint to the specific reasons why the organizations on trial are guilty, but never a clear case. The mock-trial arguments and the footage of the surrounding village makes the suffering of these African residents clear, but one wonders why we must sit through 2 hours of it, when a far more precise picture could be painted in a 20-minute Newsweek article, or Bill Moyers episode. In the end, there is something very important to be said on this issue, it simply isn't presented very well, or very clearly, in this pretentious, indulgent piece.
    helpful•9
    4
    • rddj05
    • Dec 15, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 18, 2006 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Mali
      • United States
      • France
    • Languages
      • French
      • Bambara
      • English
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • Bamako
    • Filming locations
      • Bamako, Mali
    • Production companies
      • Archipel 33
      • Chinguitty Films
      • Mali Images
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €2,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $112,351
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,183
      • Feb 18, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,059,232
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Aïssa Maïga in Bamako (The Court) (2006)
    Top Gap
    What is the English language plot outline for Bamako (The Court) (2006)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    New & Upcoming Superhero Movies and Series
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Hollywood Romances: Our Favorite Couples
    See the gallery
    Back to top

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.