TILAI © DR
1990: the Burkinabe “Maestro” Idrissa Ouedraogo prevails with Tilaï
Cannes Classics honors Idrissa Ouedraogo’s work with a restored version of Tilaï , which won the Grand Prix at the 1990 Festival. The restored film will be screened in the presence of Nora Ouedraogo, daughter of the one they called “the Maestro” in Burkina Faso.
The 1990 Competition left its mark on the history of cinema. It’s the year that David Lynch won the Palme d’or for Wild at Heart, Gérard Depardieu was awarded the Best Acting Performance for his role in Cyrano de Bergerac, and Ken Loach, Jean-Luc Godard, and Clint Eastwood round off the selection. Amidst these great names of cinema, Idrissa Ouedraogo, a promising Burkinabe filmmaker, won the Grand Prix with Tilaï.
The filmmaker’s third film offers viewers a Greek tragedy in a village in Burkina Faso. We follow Saga, who announces his return from the mountains by blowing his whistle only to discover that his father is about to marry Nogma, his betrothed. Defying customs and traditions, Saga and Nogma risk their lives to carry on their love story in secret.
“Tilaï” means law, conduct, honor. The film shows harsh, cracked, arid landscapes that are a far cry from the esthetic picture of La Captive du désert (Captive of the Desert) by Raymond Depardon, filmed in neighboring Niger. Idrissa Ouedraogo’s film, shot on a much smaller budget than that of his fellow contenders in the Competition, draws its strength from the rural scenery, the heavy silences of these characters portrayed by non-professional actors to convey a vision that does not revert to folklore or stereotype. Tilaï questions the place of the individual in society in a work filled with technical challenges.
A Waka Films presentation.
New 4K version restored from the original negative. Digital and photochemical work done by Cité de Mémoire, supervised by Denis Garcia and Silvia Voser, on behalf of the Institut français – Cinémathèque Afrique. French Distributor: Carlotta Films.
