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 29 wins & 20 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 Fatou
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 Kleïb	...	Juge (as Weli Cleib)

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 | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene in which the cow was killed with a spear was done by sedating the cow under the supervision of a veterinarian and adding the spear digitally in post production - the animal was not harmed.

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Goofs

When Amadou throws the spear at GPS, he clearly does not put enough force into the throw to puncture skin, especially not a cow's thick hide.

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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

Zabou
Composed, Arranged and Orchestrated By Amin Bouhafa
with The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
© 2014 Universal Music France

User Reviews

Definitely Worth It

At the end of Woody Allen's Bananas, the leader of the successful Latin American revolution starts making crazed pronouncements: "The official language of the country will be Swedish! Everyone must change their underwear every day, and wear it on the outside so we can check!" That's kind of what happens when the jihadists come to town in Timbuktu, only its tragic, not funny. A bunch of mostly foreigners with AK-47s show up in a Muslim community, tell all the locals they're not Muslim enough, and oh, by the way, use the Qaran to justify taking anything they feel like taking, including marriageable young women. You come away with a sense of what it feels like for ordinary people to live through this, and it's not pretty at all.

Details

Official Sites:

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

Country:

Mauritania France Qatar

Language:

French Arabic Bambara English Songhay Tamashek

Release Date:

10 December 2014 (France)

Also Known As:

Timbuktu

Filming Locations:

Mauritania

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$45,110, 1 February 2015

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:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1