Moolaade

Aroview: A rare glimpse for New Zealanders of the work of elderly Sengalese dir. Sembene - novelist, newspaper editor and founder of the New African Cinema movement - here produces a late masterpiece which confronts, in a beguiling mix of agit-prop theatre and a peculiarly African visual aesthetic, the Islamic practice of female circumcision.

Set around the efforts of a respected, but vulnerable woman (Coulibaly) to prevent the 'purification' of several young girls, this not only imbues a devastating suspense around the cultural, social and religious complexity of the issue, but weaves a fabulous portrait of tropical village life and the interconnections of family and political influence. Filled with enlightening dialogue and poetic metaphors, this is not quite like any other film you will see.

NZ International Film Festival 2005

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