The 30 Greatest Mali Movies of All Time

The 30 Greatest Mali Movies of All Time. You should check out these Mali Movies. These Mali Movies will give you a lot of fun and practice.

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Mali Movies

1. Yeelen (1987)

Director: Souleymane Cissé

Soma is a member of the Order of Komo who practices magic, yet he uses his power for his gain. After receiving a vision indicating that his son would be the cause of his death, Soma is determined to have his son killed.

With the help of his mother and his mother’s mother-in-law, Nyanankoro steals some of Soma’s sacred possessions and travels to his village to find his uncle. Soma follows with the help of an enchanting pylon that monitors his son’s progress and destroys all obstacles that impede his progress.

On his way, Nyanaki meets a hyena, who informs him that he is destined for great things. As he passes through the area of the Fula, he is apprehended by their king, Rouma, who orders him to be killed.

However, Nianaki uses magic to freeze his guards and proclaims that he cannot be killed. King Rouma is impressed and offers Nianaki his freedom in return for assistance against a neighboring tribe. In response, Nianaki summons a flock of bees and ignites a fire, driving away the invaders. The king then requests Nianaki to cure Attou’s wife’s infertility. – Mali Movies

2. Océan (2013)

Director: Emmanuel Laborie

In the summer of 79, during a holiday in the Ocean, Jean, a 10-year-old boy, becomes aware that his parents are no longer in love. Subsequently, the family is faced with the prospect of death. Jean’s journey through life reveals the complexities of life, the violence it entails, the human frailty that accompanies it, and the ephemeral nature of childhood. – Mali Movies

3. Life on Earth (1998)

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako

In the final days of 1999, following a series of images of a French supermarket full of food and color, Dramane writes a letter to his father in France, whom he then visits in his village of Sokolo, where he meets the beautiful Nana.

There are opportunities available, as long-distance calls are made from the post office, and the postmaster states that reaching people is a matter of luck.

The juxtaposition of Paris and Sokolo, between Mali and France, and Africa and Europe, is further emphasized by voice-over poetry and remarks by Aimé Cesar. A man dictates a letter to his brother in France, asking what is the cause of their difficulties. People search for their place in the world. – Mali Movies

4. Work (1978)

Director: Souleymane Cissé

The narrative follows a factory manager who encounters a man on the street who informs him that his family is his “servants”. The manager agrees to the man’s employment and, in addition to monitoring the man’s health, begins to investigate the company’s conduct towards its staff. As the situation within the factory deteriorates, the manager faces a conflict between his ethical duties and the need to safeguard his family’s wellbeing. – Mali Movies

5. Tell Me Who You Are (2009)

Director: Souleymane Cissé

This family drama follows a bourgeois family in the city of Bamako, Mali, where tensions are high. The film follows Westernized filmmaker Issa, a polygamist, and his third wife Mimi, a doctor and prominent health minister.

Mimi is accustomed to a certain level of autonomy and autonomy from her husband and decides to remain in her own home rather than move into his household.

She engages in a seductive relationship with Abba, a married fishmonger, who sends her a case of fish after every encounter as a sign of his love. When confronted by Issa, Mimi decides to leave him. – Mali Movies

6. The Wind (1982)

Director: Souleymane Cissé

Fine explores the relationship between two generations in post-imperial West Africa. The protagonist is a pot-smoking provincial military governor’s daughter who is in love with a university classmate who is descended from one of the chiefs of Mali. – Mali Movies

7. The Young Girl (1975)

Director: Souleymane Cissé

The narrative follows the story of a young mute woman who is subjected to rape and pregnancy, resulting in dire consequences for her family. Additionally, the film provides an insight into the social and economic landscape of urban Mali during the 1970s, especially in terms of the treatment of women. – Mali Movies

8. Mother of the Dunes (1997)

Director: Abdoulaye Ascofaré

The narrative follows the plight of Songhaï, a woman living in a remote and inhospitable region of North Eastern Mali. Her life revolves around her two young sons, her beautiful daughter, and her husband, who is afflicted with a degenerative condition. Despite her reluctance to allow her daughter to pursue a career in white society, her resolve will eventually lead her away from her family. – Mali Movies

9. Faro: Goddess of the Waters (2007)

Director: Salif Traore

Zanga is evicted from his ancestral home. After a prolonged period, he returns to discover the identity of his biological parentage. At the time of his return, a phenomenon occurs that the inhabitants interpret as an act of anger by the river spirit, Faro, in response to the arrival of the bastard. – Mali Movies

10. Bamako (2006)

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako

Bamako is a novel about the struggles of a bar singer, Melé, and her husband Chaka, who has lost his job and is on the brink of divorce. In the courtyard of their shared house, a trial court is convened.

African civil society leaders have taken legal action against the Bank and the International Monetary Fund, accusing them of being responsible for Africa’s ills.

Despite the pleas and testimonies, life in the courtyard continues to go on. Chaka appears unconcerned with the novel’s depiction of Africa’s struggle for its rights. – Mali Movies

11. Timbuktu (2014)

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako

Kidane is a skilled cattle herder who resides in a serene dune region located near the traditional Malian capital of Timbuche. Accompanying him are his wife, Satima, daughter Toya, and their twelve-year-old shepherd, Issan.

Unfortunately, the town’s inhabitants are currently experiencing the devastating effects of the Jihadists’ reign of terror, which has resulted in the prohibition of all forms of entertainment, including music, laughter, cigarettes, and even football.

Women have been relegated to the shadows, but they are bravely fighting back with dignity. The newly established makeshift courts are issuing tragic and grotesque verdicts.

Despite the chaos that is unfolding in the city, Kidane and his family have managed to maintain a sense of normalcy. However, their circumstances suddenly take a turn for the worse. – Mali Movies

12. Guimba the Tyrant (1995)

Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko

The film’s narrative commences with a village orator recounting the story of the despotic Guimba of the Dunbar lineage. The scene then transitions to an ancient Malian village where Guimba, a ruthless and oppressive ruler, is accompanied by his diminutive son, Janguine.

Janguine is engaged to Kani, a young woman from the Diarr family, the second most influential family in the region. However, Janguine’s attention is captivated by Kani’s affluent mother, Maya. Consequently, Guimba proposes to Kani, offering to divorce her father in exchange for Janguine’s marriage to Meya.

Kani declines the offer, and Guimba is compelled to banish Janguine from the village, resulting in protests and the subsequent massacre and subjugation of the inhabitants.

Kani escapes on horseback, and Guimba dispatches his slave to the rebel camp, where she is dressed in provocative attire and returns to the village. Ultimately, Guimba’s machinations lead to his son’s demise, resulting in his downfall. – Mali Movies

13. Genesis (1999)

Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko

This film is based on the biblical narrative of Genesis, which portrays a conflict between two clans: one of herders, led by Jacob, and one of hunters, led by his brother, Esau. Hamor, a member of Esau’s tribe of farmers, is caught in the middle of this conflict. – Mali Movies

14. Waati (1995)

Director: Souleymane Cissé

The narrative of “Waati” follows the journey of a young black child, Nandi, through the still-victory days of apartheid in South Africa. Nandi encounters a range of emotions, from violence and despair to a mad ambition to knowledge and liberation, as well as encounters with love and sympathy.

Throughout her journey, Nandi encounters Africa’s turbulent present, as well as its past of suffering and enchantment, and its “inevitably better” future.

Her journey takes her through the African continent, from South Africa to the Ivory Coast to Mali, and ultimately to Namibia, a place where the earth appears to have begun. Gradually, Nandi comes to understand her continent and the reality of being an African woman. – Mali Movies

15. Sahara (2005)

Director: Breck Eisner

Sandecker, a retired US admiral, has funded a variety of projects around the world, including high-tech marine salvage by the brilliant US Navy Seal veteran Dirk Pitt’s team, which includes his friend Al Giordino.

Pitt’s ambition is to locate the mysterious Confederal gold, which he believes crossed the Atlantic Ocean up the Niger River, which the admiral is using for an environmental project.

Unfortunately, this is a West African dictatorship, where the president, in collusion with a wealthy French energy industrialist, oppresses the desert people.

After rescuing World Health Organization epidemics researcher Dr Eva Rojas, Pitt discovers that the toxic output of a secret, enslaved tribal slave-run waste plant, through an underground system, threatens to contaminate the ocean and thus lead to a global killer epidemic. – Mali Movies

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16. Wùlu (2016)

Director: Daouda Coulibaly

The story follows a young man, a hooligan, who decides to engage in the drug trade, a large-scale traffic, to escape from poverty. This is a highly realistic social crime feature. The actors are of the highest caliber, and the shooting sequence aboard the car is of superior quality to most US-made films.

This scene is so realistic that it grips the viewer’s attention. The rise and fall of the hoodlum has been a common occurrence in gangster films from around the world for many years. This is a real must-see, far better than Hollywood’s billion-dollar superheroes. – Mali Movies

17. Mali (2018)

Director: Antonio Nuić

After a custodial sentence of four years, a drug trafficker will do whatever is necessary to maintain custody of his son. – Mali Movies

18. Mali Blues (2016)

Director: Lutz Gregor

Mali’s Music is a key component of the nation’s cultural identity. However, the emergence of radical Islamists has posed a threat to the country’s musicians. In this documentary, we will be joined by the renowned Malian Global Pop artists Fatoumata Diarwara, Bassu Kouyaté Kouyaté Mister Soumy, and Ahmed Ag Kaidi, as we journey to the turbulent heart of the country. – Mali Movies

19. Dancing the Twist in Bamako (2021)

Director: Robert Guédiguian

Samba was traveling all over Mali to convince people to embrace socialism. He meets a girl from a village called Lara dancing the twist in a vibrant nightclub. The film reflects their forbidden yet passionately beautiful love story. After realizing that his lover was forced to marry against her will, Samba fled with Lara to the city of Bamako where he fought even harder for his idea of freedom and healing for his country. However, Lara’s husband is determined to find her and several problems are on the horizon. – Mali Movies

20. The Last Shelter (2021)

Director: Ousmane Samassekou

Situated on the southern rim of the Sahara Desert, The Home of Migrants provides a refuge for individuals on their migratory journeys to Europe or those returning to their homelands. Here, individuals come together to address their migration narratives. – Mali Movies

21. Gringo Trails (2013)

Director: Pegi Vail

This film explores the complex relationship between cultures that rely on each other: host countries seeking financial security and tourists seeking authentic experiences.

Through the lives of travelers and local inhabitants, the film explores the unforeseeability of travel and its impact on the places visited, as well as the potential for sustainable alternatives.

Featuring breathtaking footage from various locations in Latin America, as well as other countries around the world, the film provides an insight into the world of tourism. – Mali Movies

22. The Y (2023)

Director: Girideva Raaj

Deeksha is a young woman who has lost her voice and her memory after a car accident that killed her parents. When she moves into her grandmother’s inherited mansion, she experiences ghostly occurrences that her doctor attributes to post-traumatic stress disorder. – Mali Movies

23. Running the Sahara (2007)

Director: James Moll

In 2006, a team of three international adventurers – Charlie Engle from the United States, Ray Zahab from Canada, and Kevin Lin from Taiwan – embarked on a mission that had never been attempted before to traverse the Sahara Desert.

While each individual had their own story and motivations, they all shared a commonality: a passion for Africa and a desire to demonstrate that the seemingly impossible could be possible.

The result is an intimate, character-driven film that delves into the Sahara culture through the lens of three individuals on a transformative journey.

Along the way, the film follows the runners as they traverse six countries – Senegalese, Mauritanian, Malagasy, Niger, Libyan, and Egyptian – as they witness the beauty and tragedy of life in Africa.

A recurring theme of the film is the need for water, which is a daily necessity for the runners and a daily hardship for many of the inhabitants. The cast encountered numerous locals who spent two and a half hours searching for and cleaning their water each day. – Mali Movies

24. Throw Down Your Heart (2008)

Director: Sascha Paladino

Bela Fleck, a renowned singer-songwriter, seeks to demonstrate the historical significance of the banjo, a traditional instrument used to perpetuate the stereotypical image of the “hillbilly”. She states that the banjo was brought to the United States from Africa in the early 19th century. Fleck travels to both rural and urban areas, where she collaborates with musicians on a variety of new and unfamiliar instruments. The resulting music is captivating. – Mali Movies

25. Soulmate (2023)

Director: André Téchiné

The story follows two friends who first meet at the age of 11 and remain close companions for the next 14 years, sharing both romantic and friendship experiences along the way. – Mali Movies

26. Le Mali 70 (2022)

Director: Markus CM Schmidt

A Berlin-based ensemble embarks on a tour of the notorious seventies brass sections in collaboration with renowned musicians from Mali. – Mali Movies

27. Motherland (2010)

Director: Owen ‘Alik Shahadah

Motherland is one of the most influential documentaries on the continent of Africa. Combining historical, cultural, political, and contemporary themes, Motherland traverses the continent to tell a fresh narrative of a vibrant continent. From the glories and grandeur of Africa’s past to its intricate history, Motherland tells the story of Africa as we have never seen it before. – Mali Movies

28. 500 Years Later (2005)

Director: Owen ‘Alik Shahadah

Five hundred years after the beginning of Slavery and Colonialism, African individuals continue to struggle for their fundamental liberty. Filmed across five continents and more than twenty countries, the narrative of 500 Years Later offers an authentic retrospective voice, telling the story from the African perspective of those who have been silenced by history.

The film examines the collective atrocities that have driven Africans away from their culture and home, as well as the struggles they have faced in pursuit of the most fundamental human right – freedom. – Mali Movies

29. The Great Green Wall (2019)

Director: Jared P. Scott

Inna Modja, a Malian singer and activist, has embarked on a transcontinental journey from west to east across the Sahel region in Sub-Saharan Africa to promote and ascertain the status of her Great Green Wall initiative, which seeks to plant trees across the entire Sahel region.

This initiative has been accompanied by musical collaborations with other African musicians, with the primary objective being to combat the geographical consequences of climate change.

However, the broader objectives of the initiative go beyond this and include the prevention of desertification in the Sahel as a result of the Sahara’s encroachment.

This, in turn, is accompanied by several other objectives to combat climate change, which, in turn, have led to widespread insecurity and, in some cases, mass migration out of Africa. Furthermore, the initiative has highlighted the increasing threats to those at risk, particularly women, from the hands of groups such as Boko Haram. – Mali Movies

30. Sun of the Soil (Short 2019)

Director: Joe Penney

Mali in the 14th century witnessed the ascension of a young nobleman to the throne of one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the world. This exploration of the life and times of this legendary African king is chronicled by Malian painter and sculptor Abdou Ouologueem. – Mali Movies

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