The Haitian surprise in "Timbuktu" at the Toronto International Film Festival

Yesterday, I Attended the screening of "Timbuktu", an Abderhamane Sissako film. It is heart wrenchingly beautiful. It depicts, in delicate detail, the beauty of a small village struggling between being African, being Muslim, submitting to rebel extremist rule, yet staying true to one's ancestral African roots. It is most relevant now that the world is learning about ISIS and Boko Haram. Sissako did a fantastic job of telling a love story interwoven with conflict and violence. He artfully depicts the foreign hands at work in conflicts such as the rebel occupation of Timbuktu. 

I've read many reviews of the film, few mention the "Vodou" element and a certain crazy woman. None specify that the character is Haitian. So when I heard Creole and the words "Port-au-Prince" in the film, my heart skipped a beat. This woman was the only one who refused to obey draconian sharia laws requiring her to not just cover her head but wear gloves to cover her hands and socks to cover her feet. Hers was the only home where people could dance (something that was forbidden). She paraded around with a cock on her shoulder, a long train trailing behind her without regard for the rules. She screamed about the earthquake and being cracked and broken. This role is played brilliantly by Kettly Noel.

Cohen Media acquired the US rights to the film after its premiere at Cannes (it won the Ecumenical prize) earlier this year. I sure hope everyone gets to experience this film.