Movies & TV Shows from Burkina Faso

Karim's father is missing and presumed dead, which is why his father's brother has taken over the house and is now his stepfather: this is the custom in Burkina Faso. This would be all right with Karim, except that his new stepfather is a harsh, unloving man, who would just as soon beat him as look at him, and he is the same way with the lad's mother. At the same time, Karim has made friends with Sala, a girl from a wealthy family, starting from when he gave her a baby goat-kid. Their friendship prospers enough so that, when Karim and his mother leave the abusive uncle carrying only what they are wearing on their backs, Sala is able to persuade her family to help them settle safely elsewhere. When Karim's father turns up at last, it is icing on the cake, for they are now able to send the obnoxious man who overshadowed their lives away in disgrace.

At a war crimes trial in an African country, an idealistic lawyer delves into the past of a man who, accused of committing unspeakable atrocities, is treated as an inhuman monster.

October 2014. Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, is the scene of an unarmed uprising that ousts the dictator in power since 1987 and later staves off an attempted coup. In 2015, the country votes freely for the first time in its history, yet real change remains allusive, especially regarding ongoing economic exploitation by foreign companies. In one year of struggle and resistance, the film follows the daily life of four Burkinabes: a musician and leader of the revolution, a local political candidate, a miner engaged in the labor movement, and an impoverished mother, all sharing hopes that the elections will change the country’s path.

Pushed by his ambitious wife, Katanga kills the king and takes the throne—and then there is no deed too low to keep his grip on power.

In an early 19th century African village, Wend Kuuni – a young man, lives with his adopted family after his mother was killed as a witch. When Pughneere – his adopted sister – becomes ill, the villagers suspect Wend Kuuni. In order to save Pughneere's life (and his own) he must set out on a journey to find a healer. His quest brings him in contact with people around him and is a journey of self-discovery.

Poverty and misery are rife in Gourga, a village in the Sahel. The inhabitants must choose: stay and await international assistance or leave for more fertile regions in the country.

In the first half of the 1990s, Drissa Touré was an auteur fast on the rise, with his first fiction feature, Laada (1991), celebrating its world premiere in a Cannes sidebar, from whence it went around the world, Rotterdam included. Touré's next narrative project, Haramuya (1995), was again welcomed warmly and seen widely. But what happened then? How could an obviously gifted filmmaker from one of world cinema's true hubs, Burkina Faso, not find the means to continue? How did Touré end up riding a motorcycle, doing deliveries and errands? The fact that only a few years after Haramuya's release, Atria, the organisation where Touré deepened his technical knowledge of filmmaking, was closed down as the last francs of support were cancelled suggests that Touré's story is also a symptom of something more structural and grim.

An inside look at slavery in the country of Burkina Faso, The Courage Of Others follows the journey of a slave (played by Sotigui Kouyaté) being taken across the African desert by his captors.

Suicide bombers are chosen by chance and their funeral rites accomplish the work of God. On this particular day the envoy of God is twelve -year-old Fatima. She is left in a village market, wearing an explosive belt with ten minutes until she kills the enemies of God. But this is the market where Fatima’s mother works and where she rediscovers life. For ten minutes we accompany her on the nail-biting journey of a martyr from the present to the past. With one minute left on the clock, she faces her mother. Confronted by her own helplessness, will time stop?

When Cecile (Sylvie Yameogo), an unwed mother-to-be, refuses to identify the father of her child, she is thrown out of her parents' home and eventually leaves her baby in a field, where another family finds him and takes him home. Michel (Alassane Dakissaga), the head of the household, reluctantly assumes responsibility for the baby after going to the police, the local priest and the traditional village chief, each of whom advises him to seek the counsel of another authority.

Mina, CEO of a large company, decides to take a second partner. It is a daring and cavalier decision, in an environment where polyandry is viewed with suspicion. But Mina has her reasons.

"In a desert savannah, two children named Kodou and Tano meet the caretaker of a century-old tree that a contractor wants to cut down. Seeking their ancestors’ help to protect the tree, Kodou and Ayoka discover that the gigantic baobab is a door between two worlds—and that, without it, nature’s balance will be shattered." (https://www.bam.org/film/2023/filmafrica-animated-films-by-cilia-sawadogo)

Twelve-year-old Simon has lost everything to the civil war that has devastated his country. "Black Lion," the ruthless rebel leader of the People's Revolutionary Army, has killed Simon's family and burned down his house. As an expert in weapons and battle strategies, he has formed a rebel group that wants to take power by force with the help of child soldiers. Simon is kidnapped and turned into a child soldier. Traumatized and plagued by nightmares, Simon plans to escape with his comrades while special forces of the African Union prepare an attack on Black Lion.

At the heart of Africa, a king is poisoned by one of his subjects. An old seer is called to the rescue. Contrary to their expectations, he suggests that two of the palace’s close aids go to the sacred cave to look for an antidote to cure the King of Mabunos.

On their ladyfriends' insistence, their "Tchiza", three friends go on an extramarital trip out of Ouagadougou, a fake mission to Abidjian being the perfect alibi. But it all goes downhill when they learn that the plane they should have been in has crashed down. How can they come back home when they're supposed to be dead? Their wives' vengeance will burn the ground they walk on.

This documentary offers the reflections of filmmakers shot at FESPACO 1991. Djibril Diop Mambéty, David Achkar, Moussa Sene Absa, Mambaye Coulibaly, Idrissa Ouedraogo, Mansour Sora Wade... express their faith in the eternity of African cinema.

When Djénéba returns from the city where she has been visiting her cousin, she brings her husband, Konaté, a wonderful gift: a condom. Konaté is furious and refuses to change his habits. Djénéba, well aware of the effects of AIDS, refuses to give in.

Many people died in the village of Ziglo, in western Côte d’Ivoire, during the 2011 civil war. Having waited too long for state justice, Josiane, known as Maman Jo, a native woman who had lost several members of her family, decided to take the village’s destiny into her own hands by creating a space for women to speak out. Spoken Languages: Dioula, French, Guere, Lobi, Moré

In a ficticious “gulf republic” president Koyaga rules. His countless lies and crimes are revealed in the songs of the griot, the West African story-teller. After 21 years of dictatorship his rule finds an end through a coup d’état. Koyaga flees to his native village in order to regain the basis of his power in a magical way employing his mother’s and a village wizard’s help. The film is a satirical look at the rulership of African dictators and the unfortunate mingling of mythology,magic and politics