Sia, le rêve du python

Infobox Film
name = Sia, le rêve du python


image_size =
caption = DVD box art
director = Dani Kouyaté
producer = Claude Gilaizeau
Elisabeth Lopez
Sylvie Maigne
Sekou Traore
writer = Dani Kouyaté
Moussa Diagana
narrator =
starring = Fatoumata Diawara
Sotigui Kouyaté
Balla Habib Dembélé
music = Daniel Rousseau
Fanny Touré
release =
cinematography = Robert Millié
editing = Zoé Durouchoux
released = May 24, 2002 (USA)
runtime = 96 minutes
country = Burkina Faso
language = Bambara
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.sialefilm.com/en/index.html
amg_id =
distributor = ArtMattan Productions
imdb_id = 0290858 "Sia, le rêve du python" (English title: "Sia, The Dream of the Python") is a 2001 film by Burkina Faso-based filmmaker Dani Kouyaté.

Plot

Kaya Maghan, the despotic king of Wagadou, follows the instructions of his priest by ordering the religious sacrifice of Sia Yatabene, the virgin daughter of a notable family, to the Python God. A gift of gold in Sia’s weight is given to her family as compensation for surrendering their daughter for the sacrifice. However, Sia runs away and finds shelter in the home of a mad prophet who has railed against the king. The king orders his top general to locate Sia, but the general is conflicted since Sia was engaged to marry his nephew, Mamadi, who is in battle on behalf of the kingdom. Mamadi returns and joins his uncle to do battle against the Python God. [ [http://movies.tvguide.com/sia-dream-python/review/136030 TV Guide Online review] ]

Production and release

The inspiration of "Sia, le rêve du python" is a seventh century myth of the Wagadu people of Western Africa, which was adapted into the play "La légende du Wagudu vue par Sia Yatabéré" by Mauritanian writer Moussa Diagana, who adapted the screenplay with filmmaker Dani Kouyaté. [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E04E1DE1F38F937A15756C0A9649C8B63 New York Times review (free subscriber access required)] ] "Sia, le rêve du python" played at the 2001 Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), where it won the Special Jury Prize for a Feature Film. [ [http://allafrica.com/stories/200103040001.html “Africa: Coveted Fespaco Prize Goes to Moroccan Director, AllAfrica.com, March 4, 2001] ] In May 2002, the film had its U.S. theatrical premiere, and critical reaction was mostly positive. Dave Kehr, writing for the "New York Times", praised Kouyate’s directing style as giving the film “a certain timeless quality,” though he noted its “measured pace and lack of dramatic inflection can also seem tedious.” Wilson Morales, writing for BlackFilm.com, praised the film’s technical aspects, stating how the film "is visually stunning, as its costumes and settings capture the essence of what Africa looked like in ancient times." [ [http://www.blackfilm.com/20020531/reviews/film-sia.shtml BlackFilm.com review] ] Elizabeth Zimmer of the "Village Voice" praised the timeless nature of the film’s ancient source, observing that "the subtitled costume drama is set in a remote African empire before cell phones, guns, and the internal combustion engine, but the politics that thump through it are as timely as tomorrow." [ [http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-05-21/film/power-plays/1 Village Voice review] ] "Sia, le rêve du python" was released in the U.S. on DVD in 2007 as a double-feature with another Burkinabe film, "Tasuma, The Fighter". [ [http://www.amazon.com/Great-African-Films-Vol-Fighter/dp/B000RW630C Amazon.com page for DVD release] ]

References