DAKAR ¨C The Oscar nomination of ¡°Timbuktu,¡± a film about the occupation of the Malian desert town by al-Qaida-linked Islamists in 2012, should not mask the lack of established cinema from West Africa, its director said.
Up for the Best Foreign Language Film at Sunday¡¯s ceremony, Abderrahmane Sissako¡¯s film has already won two awards at this year¡¯s Cannes Film Festival and seven at the Cesar Award¡¯s, France¡¯s equivalent of the Oscars.
It tells how residents in the ancient town, which has a rich history as a seat of Islamic learning, resisted the harsh Islamic law imposed by militants, whose decrees ranged from bans on music and soccer to stoning those accused of adultery.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.