A young man with magical powers journeys to his uncle to request help in fighting his sorcerer father.
Cinematography
Sahara landscapes that swallow characters whole.
Direction
Cissé frames power like something you can taste.
Practical Effects
Pre-digital effects that feel genuinely dangerous.
Director
Souleymane Cissé
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Bambara epic of Soundiata Keita, but Cissé deliberately inverted the hero's journey—here the son fails where the ancestor succeeded.
Cissé mortgaged his house to finish post-production after French co-producers pulled funding. Cannes jury saw an unfinished print and still gave it the Jury Prize.
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