Born in Kiffa, Mauritania, in 1961, and raised in Mali, Abderrahmane Sissako studied film at VGIK in Moscow. His films are poetic, quiet and political, concerned with exile, globalisation and the failures of governance in Africa. Waiting for Happiness (2002) was set in a village on the Mauritanian coast. Bamako (2006) staged a trial of the World Bank and IMF in a courtyard in the Malian capital. Timbuktu (2014), on the occupation of the city by jihadists, won seven César awards and an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film.
Filmography
- Life on Earth (1998)
- Waiting for Happiness (2002)
- Bamako (2006)
- Timbuktu (2014)