Yaaba
Yaaba is a 1989 Burkinabé drama film written, produced, and directed by Idrissa Ouedraogo. It won the Sakura Gold prize at the 1989 Tokyo Film Festival.[1] The film was selected as the Burkinabé entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2]
| Yaaba | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Idrissa Ouedraogo |
| Produced by | Arcadia Films, Les Films de l'avenir, Télévision suisse romande, Thelma Film AG |
| Written by | Idrissa Ouedraogo |
| Screenplay by | Idrissa Ouédraogo |
| Starring | Fatimata Sanga, Noufou Ouedraogo, Roukietou Barry, Adama Ouedraogo, Amadé Tour |
| Music by | Francis Bebey |
| Cinematography | Matthias Kälin |
| Edited by | Loredana Cristelli |
| Distributed by | New Yorker Films (U.S.) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Burkina Faso Switzerland France |
| Language | Mòoré |
| Box office | $55,000 |
The film was the subject of a short documentary Parlons Grand-mère, which was shot during the film's production by Djibril Diop Mambéty.
Plot
In a Mossi village in Burkina Faso, Bila (Noufou Ouédraogo), a ten-year-old boy, makes friends with an old woman called Sana (Fatimata Sanga), who has been accused of witchcraft by her village, and has become a social outcast. Only Bila is respectful of her, and calls her yaaba (Grandmother).
When Bila's cousin, Nopoko (Roukietou Barry), falls ill, a medicine man insists that Sana has stolen the girl's soul. Sana undergoes a long and gruelling but ultimately successful journey to find a medicine to save Nopoko's life, but is still treated as a witch.
After Sana dies, the real reason why she is hated in the village is uncovered, but the love and wisdom she invested in Bila and Nopoko lives on.
Awards
- FIPRESCI Prize (Cannes, 1989)
See also
- List of submissions to the 62nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Sub-Saharan African submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- "Tokyo film festival gives big cash awards". chron.com. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
- Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences