DVD only
107 minutes, 1990, Mali Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko in Bambara with English subtitles
ABOUT THE FILM
In Finzan, Cheick Oumar Sissoko has skillfully crafted a film which raises one of the most important issues of African rural life, the status of women, in a style accessible to every villager. Finzan tells the story of two women's rebellion. Nanyuma, a young widow defies her brother-in-law, the village fool, when he asserts his traditional right to "inherit" her. Fili, a young woman sent from the city by her conservative father, is brutally "circumcised" by village women, scandalized by her refusal to submit to this ancient ritual. Sissoko weaves these two stories together into a painfully realistic picture of village society, tragically unable to free itself from the past.
CRITICAL COMMENT
"A passionate and convincing plea for the emancipation of African women."
New York Times
"Bracing, wholly exhilarating... dedicated to the African woman."
Village Voice
"An important film an enriching discovery for any American audience."
