Timbuktu (2014)

A cattle herder and his family who reside in the dunes of Timbuktu find their quiet lives -- which are typically free of the Jihadists determined to control their faith -- abruptly disturbed.

Director:

Abderrahmane Sissako

Writers:

Abderrahmane Sissako (screenplay), Kessen Tall (screenplay)

Stars:

Ibrahim Ahmed, Abel Jafri, Toulou Kiki

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 28 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ibrahim Ahmed	...	Kidane (as Ibrahim Ahmed dit Pino)
Abel Jafri	...	Abdelkerim
Toulou Kiki	...	Satima
Layla Walet Mohamed	...	Toya
Mehdi A.G. Mohamed	...	Issan
Hichem Yacoubi	...	Djihadiste
Kettly Noël	...	Zabou
Fatoumata Diawara	...	La chanteuse
Adel Mahmoud Cherif	...	L'Imam
Salem Dendou	...	Le chef djihadiste
Mamby Kamissoko	...	Djihadiste
Yoro Diakité	...	Djihadiste
Cheik A.G. Emakni	...	Omar
Zikra Oualet Moussa	...	Tina
Weli Cleib	...	Juge

Storyline

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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Plot Keywords:

desert | islamic fundamentalism | tuareg | mali | timbuktu | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Cohen Media Group [United States] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Mauritania France

Language:

French Arabic Bambara English Songhay Tamashek

Release Date:

10 December 2014 (France)

Also Known As:

Timbuktú

Filming Locations:

Mauritania

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$78,544, 6 February 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,076,075

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,179,391

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Worso,Dune Vision,Arches Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2015 Timbuktu became the first film shot in Mauritania by a Mauritanian director to win at the Cesar film awards. It won seven awards out of its eight nominations including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Sound, thus setting the record for being the African film with the most awards ever.

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Quotes

Omar: Satima?
Satima: I'm listening.
Omar: I'm Abdelkarim's driver. I have a message from him: "He can't do anything to help. It's over".

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Connections

Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2016)

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Soundtracks

Run
Composed, Arranged and Orchestrated By Amin Bouhafa
© 2014 Universal Music France

User Reviews

Hard to watch but a brilliant achievement

I don't believe there is one frame in this film that is not gorgeous, that couldn't be displayed as a photograph at a gallery. The muted colors of the desert, the medieval architecture of the town, the tragically expressive faces always glowing in a magical light--all of it is almost painfully beautiful. The story is beyond tragic. By seemingly digressing into numerous anecdotes illustrating the quirks of the population, the director allows us to appreciate deeply the texture and social fabric of the community that is being poisoned by madness. We see in particular its effect on an extremely appealing but by no means sanctified family. This is one of the film's extraordinary strengths as well. No character is oversimplified; even the appalling jihadists are granted their humanity. I've seen "Boyhood" and "Birdman", the apparent favorites for the Oscar. "Timbuktu" utterly blows both those fine movies out of the water.