Synopsis
In early 2012, northern Mali is occupied by various armed groups who want to secede from the rest of the country and impose Sharia law.

In Gao, the historic capital of the north, the resistance against the occupation is organized by groups of young people, who undertake to protect their families and liberate the city.

Kassim Sanogo
After obtaining a Master 1 in Philosophy at the University (Flash) of Bamako, I have participated in a number of writing residencies and documentary filmmaking workshops with Africadoc. I received my Master 2 in documentary filmmaking at the University Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis (first film, « Ça vibre dans nos têtes« , Zaradoc 2009). In 2012, I participated in the Summer university of FEMIS Film school in Paris. I have a long work experience as a coordinator of the « Collectif Jeunes Talents » of UCECAO-Mali, chaired by Mr. Souleymane Cissé (Couleurs arc-en-ciel CIRTEF 2012). In March 2013, I received the « Coup de pouce » award with honorable mention at the 20th FIGRA Film Festival for the project Rescapés, resistance of a people. In 2015, my documentary film DONKO (Zaradoc, 2013) received a honorable mention at Africlap Film Festival. In 2015, I have enlisted in a fiction-writing course at ESAV Toulouse. In 2018, I finally achieved GAO, resistance of a people.

TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
Genre : documentary
Duration : 54’00
Screening format : DCP // FHD 16/9 – color / 5.1 & 2.0
Dialogues : Songhoy, Bambara, French, Arabic
Subtitles : French, English, German

Written and directed by Kassim Sanogo (Mali)
Cinematography : Abdellah Coulibaly
Sound : Jean de Dieu Brou
Editing : Aurélie Jourdan
Original soundtrack : Grégoire Paultre
Traditional music : Yehia
Sound design : Sylvain Buffet – Beep & Bleep
Sound mix : Xavier Thibault – Sono Sapiens
Color correction : Alexandre Lelaure – LPM
Production in Gao : Abdoul Salam Hama
Production Mali : Soumaïla Diallo
Production France : Julien Fiorentino

« Coup de pouce » special mention, FIGRA 2013
« Brouillon d’un rêve », SCAM 2017
« Création musicale originale », SACEM 2018

Broadcasting Partners : ORTM (Mali), Lyon Capitale TV, Télé Bocal (France), EZEF (Germany), 2M TV (Morocco), Magic Cinema, Sahelien.com (Mali)

With the participation of Institut Français du Mali (IFM), MINUSMA (UN mission in Mali), with the support of CNC, Procirep-Angoa, EED, DDC (Swiss Cooperation in Mali)

A documentary film produced by L’Echangeur (France) Premiers Films Productions (Mali) in coproduction with Lyon Capitale TV & Télé Bocal

PROMOTION

Avant-premiere : 5th october 2018 in Quinzaine du Cinéma Francophone, Paris

Release in Bamako : 17th january 2019 in Magic Cinema Babemba, Bamako

Release in Gao : 7th february 2019 in Governorate of the city, Gao

Public screening and debate : 12th february 2019 in French Institute in Mali, Bamako

Best documentary film Award at 3rd Cultural Identities Film Festival (FESTIC), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Dec. 2020

FESTIVALS 2019

25th FIGRA, Saint-Omer, France : French Premiere on 15th march 2019

8th Luxor African Film Festival, Egypt : African Premiere on 17th march 2019

35th Vues d’Afrique Film Festival, Montreal, Canada : American Première, 7th april & 15th april 2019

17th Cinémas d’Afrique Festival , Angers, France : short films competition, 3rd april & 6th april 2019

« Timbuktu is back », HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin : public event, friday 5th april 2019 at 8.30pm

10th 5 Continents cinema Festival, Swiss/France : public screening, at cinema Voltaire, friday 24th may 5.30 pm

10th Rencontres Afriques en Docs, Lille, France : documentary selection, at cinema L’Univers, tuesday 28th may 7. pm

21st Africajarc Festival, Cajarc, France : documentary selection, friday 19th july 2019 at 3.30pm

6th Africlap Festival, Toulouse, France : documentary competition, on tuesday 27th august at 7pm at Utopia Cinema and on sunday 1st september 2019 at 4.30pm at Le Cratère cinema

17th Afrika Film Festival Köln, Germany : documentary selection, 20th september at 6pm at Filmforum, Köln ; 21st september at 3pm at Rex cinema, Wuppertal ; 23rd september at 7pm at Deutsche Welle, Bonn

Africanist Society, Quai Branly National Museum, Paris, France : public screening, thursday 7th november at 6pm at Musée du Quai Branly

19th Lumières d’Afrique Festival, Besançon, France : documentary competition, saturday 9th november at 4pm

9th Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Lagos, Nigeria : documentary selection, 15th november

ENSAV Media-library, Toulouse, France : 18th november at 7pm

22th Réel en vue Film Festival, Thionville (pont to Gao), France : 24th november 8.30pm at La Scala theater

15th Ciné Droit Libre Human rights film festival, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso : 3pm, 12th december 2019 at French Institute in Ouagadougou

10th International documentary film festival, Saint-Louis, Senegal : 7.30pm, 18th december 2019 at French Institute in Saint-Louis

FESTIVALS 2020

29th Cascade Festival of African Films, Portland, Oregon, USA : february 2020

23rd Mediterraneo Video Festival, Ascea (SA), Italia : 10th september at 5pm

9th Nepal Africa Film Festival, « Africa through african lens », Kathmandu : oct. 2020

1st International Film Festival Bangui fait son cinéma, Central Africa Republic : from 7th to 14th november 2020

2nd African International Film Festival L’Afrique fait son cinéma, Le Lincoln, Champs-Elysées, Paris : postponed to 9 – 13 december 2020

3rd Cultural identities Film Festival (FESTIC), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 12th to 18th december 2020 : Best documentary film Award

FESTIVALS 2021

39th Festival international Jean Rouch, « Niger River focus » : 6.45pm at INALCO on wednesday 24th of November 2021

LINKS

Facebook of the film

Director’s Interview on Images francophones

Unifrance Short Film Gallery

Le Quotidien (Dakar, Senegal) : Micro ouvert

Radio program La Marche du monde, Valérie Nivelon, RFI

Information website Sahelien.com