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Tribute to Souleymane Cissé and Mali

Baara (The job) ( Mali 1978 )

Color: Fiction, color, 91’

Direction: Souleymane Cissé

Screenplay: Souleymane Cissé

Director of Photography: Abdoulaye Sidibé et Cheick Hamala Keïta

Music: Wandé Kuyaté

Editing: Andrée Davanture

Cast: Dounamba Dany Coulibaly, Fanta Diabate, Omou Diarra, Balla Moussa Keita, Mamoulou Sanogo, Ismaila Sarr

Production: Souleymane Cissé, Les Films Cissé - Sisé Filimu

Synopsis

A young Malian country boy works as a "baara", a porter in Bamako. One day he makes friends with a young engineer who takes him under his wing, helps him out of trouble with the police and finds him a job in the factory. The engineer, who studied in Europe, tries to apply his liberal ideas in the factory. He takes on the union, under the factory owner’s control, and enters into conflict with the factory management.

Réalisateur

A documentary about the arrest of Patrice Lumumba made Souleymane Cissé decide to start his cinematographic career. Thanks to a scholarship, he studied at the Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. When he returned to Mali in 1970, he was a cameraman-reporter for the Cinematographic Service of Ministry of Information, which gave him the chance to travel across the country and make several documentaries. His first film Five days of life (1972) receives the Bronze Tanit in CFF. In 1975, he shot Den Muso (The young girl), the story of a mute girl raped by an unemployed person. At its release, the film was banned and Souleymane Cissé was arrested and jailed for accepting a French cooperation. The film remains banned until 1978. In 1977 he gave up his position to create his own production company, Sisé Filimu. His second feature Baara (work) receives the Silver Tanit in CFF 1978 and the Yennenga Stallion at FESPACO 1979. In 1982, Finyè (The Wind, 1982) is a film about the revolt of young students face Malian military power. This work is politically engaged awarded the Golden Tanit CFF 1982 and the Yennenga Stallion at FESPACO 1983. The film is also selected at the Cannes Film Festival the same year. Yeelen (Light), directed in 1987 obtained the Special Jury Prize at Cannes and finally reveals Souleymane Cissé to the public. In 1995 Souleymane Cissé returned to Cannes with Waati (The Time) Souleymane Cissé released his sixth feature Min Yé (2009), a film about polygamy. Its world premiere took place in Cannes official selection, out of competition. Souleymane Cissé, since 1997, is the president of the Union of creators and entrepreneurs of cinema and audiovisual in West Africa (UCECAO).