{"id":31228,"date":"2026-05-22T09:19:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/msfilmfestival.fi\/?post_type=movies&p=31228"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:19:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:19:26","slug":"bamako","status":"publish","type":"movies","link":"https:\/\/msfilmfestival.fi\/en\/movies\/bamako\/","title":{"rendered":"Bamako"},"content":{"rendered":"

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund before the tribunal! Director Abderrahmane Sissako\u2019s <\/a><\/span>Bamako<\/span><\/i> is one of the most notable African films of the early 2000\u2019s. In an impoverished neighborhood in Mali\u2019s capital Bamako \u2013 apparently in Sissako\u2019s late father\u2019s own backyard \u2013 a peculiar, \u201cimprovised\u201d yet convincingly authentic trial plays out \u2013 with globalization in the hot seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

While legal scholars donning the appropriate garb for the occasion as well as representatives of exploited Africa debate, Sissako\u2019s<\/a> lens fluidly follows the surrounding life and the marital strife of bar singer Mel\u00e9 and her husband Chaka, an ordinary couple living in the house outside of which the trial is held. At the plaintiff\u2019s podium, mostly \u201creal\u201d people are seen \u2013 memorable figures include Mali\u2019s Minister of Culture, an older farmer delivering his testimony in the form of a kind of rap, and a taciturn teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sissako<\/a> delivers his critique of neocolonialism in no unclear terms, but <\/span>Bamako<\/span><\/i> also turns a critical eye toward the African elite. The director\u2019s familiar humor and the brilliant, spontaneous camerawork of the framing sequences make the film a joy to watch, culminating in a farcical spaghetti Western interlude, \u201cDeath in Timbuktu\u201d, starring, among others, Danny Glover and Palestinian director Elia Suleiman, the latter of whom paid a visit to our festival in 2007.<\/span><\/p>\n

Timo Malmi<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund before the tribunal! Director Abderrahmane Sissako\u2019s Bamako is one of the most notable African films of the early 2000\u2019s. In an impoverished neighborhood in Mali\u2019s capital Bamako \u2013 apparently in Sissako\u2019s late father\u2019s own backyard \u2013 a peculiar, \u201cimprovised\u201d yet convincingly authentic trial plays out \u2013 with… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"featured_media":31227,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-31228","movies","type-movies","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","filters-special-guests-films","filters-subtitles-in-english-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBamako — Midnight Sun Film Festival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund before the tribunal! 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