Yeelen

Yeelen
File:Yeelen.jpg VHS cover
Directed by	Souleymane Cissé
Produced by	Souleymane Cissé
Written by	Souleymane Cissé
Starring	Issiaka Kane Aoua Sangare Niamanto Sanogo
Music by	Salif Keita Michel Portal
Cinematography	Jean-Noël Ferragut Jean-Michel Humeau
Release dates	May 1987 (premiere at Cannes) 14 April 1989 (USA, limited)
Running time	105 min.
Country	Mali / Burkina Faso / France / West Germany
Language	Bambara, Fula

Yeelen (Bambara for "brightness"/"light") is a 1987 Malian film directed by Souleymane Cissé. It is filmed in the Bambara and Fula languages, and is based on a legend told by the Bambara people. Though the era is undefined, it is presumably set in the 13th century in the Mali Empire and is a heroic quest narrative featuring magic and precognition.

It stars Issiaka Kane as Nianankoro, a young African man who possesses magical powers. Niamanto Sanogo plays Niankoro's father, who is tracking his son through the Bambara, Fulani and Dogon lands of West Africa using a magical wooden post to guide him.

Yeelen was met with wide critical success, and was awarded the Jury Prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Golden Palm award for the same year.

Cast

• Issiaka Kane - Nianankoro
• Aoua Sangare - Attou
• Niamanto Sanogo - Soma / Djigui
• Balla Moussa Keita - Rouma Boll, Fula king
• Soumba Traore - Mah
• Ismaila Sarr - Bofing
• Youssouf Tenin Cissé - Le petit garcon d'Attou
• Koke Sangare - Komo chief

Trivia

• It was ranked #94 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.

References

Samuel Lelièvre, La Lumière de Souleymane Cissé. Cinéma et Culture, Paris, L'Harmattan, 2013 (ISBN 978-2-343-00201-9).

External links

• Yeelen at IMDb
• Yeelen at AllMovie
• Yeelen at Film Atlas - Contains detailed plot summary.