Timbuktu (2014), a Mauritian-French production, directed by Abderrahmane Sissako is a film I highly recommend. It’s a story of a cattle herder determined to withhold his faith being controlled by the extremists.  It’s also the story of Timbuktu’s diversity and struggle. Be it ‘Islam’ practised by the commoners or the ‘extremist’ incursion, Sissako emphasizes on the human aspect of it all.

Hailing from Mali, Sissako’s critique is that of an insider, from someone who is struggling from the inside for a more free, happy, and beautiful ‘Timbuktu’. His stand against the religious extremists is coming from a very clear understanding of the world politics; how the western superpowers have indirectly yielded during the ongoing crisis in Africa or Arab or any other once colonial, third world countries.

The cinematography of Sofian El Fani with its combination of extreme wide shots and intimate close-ups of faces, narrates the story instead of just recording the events. The biggest challenge of any cinematographer in such a war-like area contrasted with serene dunes and rich colors would be not doing ‘news reportage’ neither beautifying the suffering. He does it with ease.

Having won the Best Film at the 11th Africa Movie Academy Awards and nominations at BAFTA and Academy Awards, Timbuktu goes beyond the tags of its rich historical heritage and speaks about current situation of the town; its people, the rustic beauty of the dunes, the poverty, the exploitation, the madness, the children and their games, the cattle, the extremists, the life there with sweat, blood, happiness, sorrow, in search of ‘truth’ and absolute sense of ‘freedom’.

Nachi Guspaithiya

Assisting in Film Industry in Direction Department and working on individual projects simultaneously.

Have done Shorts and Documentaries which have been shown widely. Have been working on forming an artist collective named Potato Eaters and also have been writing occasionally on Cinema, art, literature and politics in social media platforms.