An old man in an African village asks his friend to look after his daughter. The foster father teaches her how to use a gun, the harsh realities of life and how to communicate with the spirits. Grown into a woman, Sarraounia becomes Queen of the Aznas. This Queen does not seek to dominate, but fights for independence and peace.

Based on historical accounts of Queen Sarraounia, who leads the Azans into battle against the French colonialists at the turn of the century, Med Hondo's sweeping epic rivals any that American cinema has produced. A brilliant strategist and forceful leader, the queen commands respect from the men she guides into battle and deep loyalty for her people. Steeped in traditional values and the power of the occult sciences, Sarraounia's character is richly drawn, replete with angst and romantic considerations. Using this powerful heroine, Hondo contrasts the strong alliances that emerge among African communities with the self-seeking and purposelessness of the Europeans and provides much needed African historical perspective. Sarraounia is not only an engrossing tale of a remarkable woman's bravery, but also a captivating study of revolution against enslavement and the struggle for peace and freedom.



Med Hondo, Mauritania, 1986, 120m. In French.

Directed by
Med Hondo

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Med Hondo also dialogue
Abdoulaye Mamani also novel (dialogue)
Abdoul War

Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification
Aï Keïta... Sarraounia
Jean-Roger Milo... Capitaine Voulet
Féodor Atkine... Chanoine
Didier Sauvegrain... Doctor Henric
Roger Mirmont... Lieutenant Joalland
Luc-Antoine Diquéro... Lt. Pallier
Jean-Pierre Castaldi... Sergeant Boutel
Wladimir Ivanovsky
Tidjani Ouedraogo... Coulibaly
Jacques Penot
Didier Agostini
Jean Edmond
Philippe Bellay
Tagara Yagoura Traoré
Aboubagar Traoré
Aboulaye Cissé
Jean-François Ouédraogo
Florence Bewende
Hama Gourounga
Baba Traoré
Djibril Sidibé
Sékou Tabb
Rajoun Tapsirou
Sou Jacob
Temeddit Ag Hoye
Ben Idriss Traoré
Mohamed Ag Bloukia
Mohamed Ag Mohamed
Abdoulaye Ciré Bâ
Amadou Banou
Malik Barry
Amadou Bocouma
Boubacar Amadou Cissé
Hamidou Cissé
Issouf Compaoré
Daouda Bakoroba Diabaté
Bouba Diallo
Hama Diallo
Korka Diallo
Moussa Diallo
Djibilirou Dicko
Harouna Dicko
Minatta Guire
Rosalie Kantiebo
Drissa Kone
Nafissatou Kone
Hassane Kassi Kouyate
Gninasse Lancina
Mariame Maiga
Abdoul Malik
Aboueba Mantoro
Boubacar Nabe
Ramatou Nignan
Mamounata Ouattara
Fatou Ouedraogo
Madi Pafadnam
Moussa Sawadogo
Kini Sipani
Jean-Gustave Sorgho Dak
Kalifala Sylla
Gary Tamboura
Karim Traoré
Mariame Traore
Oumar Traoré
Karim Zemani
Moha Zinson
Adama Zoungrana

Produced by
Med Hondo.... producer

Original Music by
Pierre Akendengue
Abdoulaye Cissé
Issouf Compaoré

Cinematography by
Guy Famechon

Film Editing by
Marie-Thérèse Boiché

Production Design by
Jacques D'Ovidio

Set Decoration by
Gil Fontbonne (decorations)

Production Management
Michel Moitessier.... production manager

Sound Department
Antoine Bonfanti.... sound
Jean Casanova.... boom operator
Vartan Karakeusian.... sound mixer

Special Effects by
Jean-Louis Trinquier.... special effects

Other crew
Djimm Mamadou Kola.... general coordinator
Carole Marquand.... script girl

Countries: Burkina Faso / Mauritania / France

Languages: Dioula / Peul / French
Color: Color (Fujicolor)
Cinematographic process: Technovision
Printed film format: 35 mm
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Sound Mix: Stereo


Production Companies
* Les Films Soleil Ô (Paris)
* Direction de la Cinématographie Nationale du Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)


Newspapers comments:

Le Figaro:
A powerful and lyrical movie.

Herald Tribune:
Best film, it deserves wider release.

West Africa:
A hymn to dignity.

Le Monde:
First African epic film ever.

Aujourdhui l'Afrique:
A deeply moving great film.

The Observer:
Swirling battle scenes are powerful, emotional.

Le Quotidien:
A magnificent, cruel but hateless portray.

Variety:
Perfomances are effective, musical score is wonderful, sound track beautiful.

L'humanité:
Med Hondo is carrying proudly and strongly the African flag.

Le Nouvel Observateur:
Sarraounia got style and wonderful colours.

L'Evènement du Jeudi:
The beginning of a revolution going to shake up the century.





2008 | 15th New York African Film Festival | NEW YORK, Usa | APRIL 9th to MAY 26th | www.africanfilmny.org |
> Selection

1987 | FESPACO - Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Festival | OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso |
> Won Grand Prize (Etalon de Yennenga)
> Prize of Ouagadougou City
> Prize of the black people institute
> Prize of Air Africa
> Prize of the best script
> Prize of the women of Cameroon


Montréal Film Festival | MONTREAL, Canada |
> selection


San Francisco Film Festival | SAN FRANCISCO, USA |
> selection


Washington Film Festival | Washington, USA |
> selection


Atlanta Film Festival | Atlanta, USA |
> selection


London Film Festival | London, UK |
> selection


London Film Festival | London, UK |
> selection


Berlin Film Festival | Berlin, Germany |
> selection


Moscou Film Festival | Moscou, URSS |
> selection






Sources :
medhondo.com
www.imdb.com
www.bifi.fr