Sarraounia

Sarraounia (1986)

On 2 January 1899, starting from the French Sudan, a French column under the command of the captains Voulet and Chanoine is sent against the black Sultan Rabah in what is now the Cameroon. Those captains and their African mercenary troops destroy and kill everything they find on their path. The French authorities try to stop them sending orders and a second troop but the captains kill the emissaries who reach them. Sarraounia, queen of the Aznas, have heard about the exactions. Clever in war tactics and in witchcraft, she decides to resist and stop those mad men.

Date of release
1986-07-01
TMDB
6.7 / 10 (10)
Runtime
2h 2m
Genres
War, Drama, History
Director
Med Hondo

Casting

Interesting facts

Sarraounia is a 1986 historical drama film written and directed by Med Hondo. It is based on a novel of the same name by Nigerien author Abdoulaye Mamani, who co-wrote the screenplay. The novel and film concern the real-life Battle of Lougou between Azna queen Sarraounia and the advancing French Colonial Forces of the Voulet–Chanoine Mission in 1899. Sarraounia was one of the few African tribal leaders that resisted the advances of French expansionists Paul Voulet and Julien Chanoine. The film won the first prize at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) and was critically well received.

Production

When Nigerien author Abdoulaye Mamani first published his novel Sarraounia, he gave a copy to his friend Med Hondo who decided to put aside all other projects to adapt it into a film. As well as using the book for reference, Hondo conducted research with Mamani, interviewing older Nigerien people and accessing material in the national archives.

Hondo cast Aï Keïta after witnessing a confrontation between Keïta and a family member. Although he initially had her in mind for a small role in the film, he cast her as Sarraounia following the first casting session. This was her first acting job and she has since performed in films including Les Etrangers (The Foreigners) and SIDA dans la Cite (AIDS in the City), as well as in sitcoms.

The film was shot in 1986 in Burkina Faso. It cost $3,000,000 to make, which was raised over seven years by Burkinabé financiers and Hondo's own production company.

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