Timbuktu

One of the many memorable sequences in Abderrahmane Sissako's Timbuktu depicts a group of teenage boys playing football without a ball, as ball games have been outlawed by the jihadist regime, some of whom were earlier seen debating the merits of Zidane and Messi. In such moments, Sissako brilliantly highlights the absurdities and contradictions of these zealous attitudes for comic effect, but he also depicts with lucid anger the suffering faced by ordinary people whose lives are destroyed by the Sharia law imposed upon them.

A beautiful interlude showing a group of friends playing music in their home is followed by a harsh punishment being administered to them; a woman who declines a marriage proposal is taken into wedlock by force; a child is left alone to face a future we cannot imagine. Shot with a brilliant eye for composition by Sofian El Fani, Timbuktu is an essential work; it's a vital plea for understanding, compassion and peace that is marked by a deep wisdom and humanity. [Philip Concannon]