Portal:African cinema/Selected film/9
Sira is a 2023 drama film written and directed by Burkinabé filmmaker and producer, Apolline Traoré. The film set in the Sahel tells the story of a young Fulani girl, Sira, travelling to meet her groom, Jean-Sidi. ttacked by Islamist terrorists, all the men are killed and Sira, rapedand left for dead i, t fights for her survival and plots her revenge. Of how she hoped her film would move people, Traoré said “I want to say to my people that there is hope. And for the international audience, I want to share what the situation is like, to tell them about this war. It's my responsibility to narrate what is going on”
The film was a co-production between Burkina Faso, Senegal, France and Germany and shot in Mauritania It premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, winning the Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film. It also screened at the 2023 edition of Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou where it won the second prize.
Sira was selected as the Burkinabé entry in the Best International Feature Film for the 96th Academy Awards, the first Burkinabé entry since 1989. The film was praised for Nafissatou Cissé’s portrayal of Sira, Traoré’s direction, and its portrayal of resilience in the face of adversity.