Youssou N'Dour
- 2008
As one of two major documentaries on hotly-debated Senegalese world musician Youssou N'Dour to emerge within a year of one another (see also Youssou N'Dour: Return to Gorée), this particular chronicle was produced and shot over a period of several years. Helmed by director Chai Vasarhelyi, it witnesses the evolution and production of N'Dour's June 2004 album Egypt, on the Nonesuch label - the recording that details N'Dour fully expressing his newfound Muslim faith. A veritable bedrock of controversy, the album courted objections from multiple countries; Americans objected because of their post-9/11 tendencies to attribute Islam to violent extremism, Senegalese deejays and radio station proprietors objected given the odd discomfiture associated with playing religious music about Allah alongside often-racy selections by other acts. Even more significantly, N'Dour inadvertently carried this controversy a step further by performing, live, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan - thus infuriating Senegalese religious conservatives. The film witnesses N'Dour confronting these challenges head-on and, incredibly, surmounting them with great ease and finesse. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Youssou N'Dour
- 2007
Director Laura Muscardin weaves this deceptively simple slice of realism detailing the transformation of a young Islamic student in Senegal into one of the most successful fashion designers in Rome. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thierno Thiam, Susy Laude, (more)
- 2007
This unique "road documentary" finds Youssou N'Dour, a vocalist from Senegal, undertaking a transcontinental journey and traveling the routes of 19th century American slaves. Guided by the blind Tunisian pianist Moncef Genoud, N'Dour gravitates from Atlanta to New Orleans to the Big Apple, then leaves the United States for Europe and visits Bordeaux, France, and Luxembourg, meanwhile performing his jazz- and gospel-influenced songs constantly. The film witnesses N'Dour rehearsing with an extensive series of musicians and preparing for a final concert in Gorée. That locale (an island off of Senegal's coast) attains particularly strong thematic relevance, geographically situated as it was at the crossroads of slave routes between Europe and Africa. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Youssou N'Dour
One man's role in the long battle to outlaw slavery in the United Kingdom sets the stage for this historical drama from director Michael Apted. In 1784, 21-year-old William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) was elected to the British House of Commons, and soon established himself as a politician with a conscience. Several years later, his close friend William Pitt (Benedict Cumberbatch) became prime minister, and together they made a bold plan to introduce a bill banning slavery before the English legislature. Wilberforce was aided by anti-slavery activists Olaudah Equiano (Youssou N'Dour) and Thomas Clarkson (Rufus Sewell); however, pro-slavery hard-liners Lord Tarleton (Ciarán Hinds) and the Duke of Clarence (Toby Jones) spearheaded a hard-fought opposition to the legislation, and despite Wilberforce's best efforts, his bill went down in defeat. In 1797, Wilberforce left politics due to poor health and a battered spirit; staying at the country home of his friends Henry and Marianne Thornton (Nicholas Farrell and Sylvestra Le Touzel), he became acquainted with Barbara Spooner (Romola Garai), a beautiful woman with progressive views. Spooner became deeply infatuated with Wilberforce, and she encouraged him not to give up on his noble goals; with her help, Wilberforce launched a second campaign to persuade England's lawmakers to end the slave trade. Amazing Grace made its North American premiere as the closing-night gala attraction at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, (more)
A South African mercenary and a Mende fisherman find their fates forever intertwined as they embark on a quest to obtain a rare and highly coveted pink diamond in director Edward Zwick's frantic adventure drama. Ripped from his family farm and forced to toil away in the sweltering South African diamond fields, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) discovered an extraordinary rough stone of immeasurable value. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hired gun who specializes in the sale of so-called "blood diamonds" that are used to finance rebellions and terrorist organizations, and is currently serving time for smuggling. As a bloody civil war rages in Sierra Leone and Archer learns that Vandy has safely hidden the diamond in a place where no one would ever suspect, the pair enlist the aid of disillusioned American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in recovering the treasure that has the power to save Vandy's family and provide the desperate Archer with a much-needed chance for redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, (more)
The animated movie Kirikou and the Wild Beasts contains four different stories that feature the popular character. The intro story involves stopping a witch from denying local farms the water necessary to raise crops. The second tale features the character finding food for the village. In the third he defeats a group of robots sent by the witch. The last story involves finding a cure for an illness that threatens all the women of the village. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre-Ndoffe Sarr, Awa Sene Sarr, (more)
- 2003
- AddNelson Mandela's AIDS Day Concert: The Eventto QueueAddNelson Mandela's AIDS Day Concert: The Eventto top of Queue
On Saturday, November 29, 2003 at the Green Point Stadium in South Africa, a concert was held that featured over 30 artists banding together to present a wake-up call to the world in the name of Nelson Mandela's prison number to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Contributing artists include Beyonce Knowles, Queen, Paul Oakenfold and Jimmy Cliff performing in front of a live audience of over 40,000 and broadcast to over 2 billion people worldwide. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 1999
A very special benefit concert for Amnesty International, the human rights watchdog group, was held in Paris in December 1998 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Some of the most respected names in pop music were on hand, including Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel, Alanis Morissette, Tracy Chapman, Radiohead, Youssou N'dour, Asian Dub Foundation and Shania Twain. This also features an appearance by the Dalai Lama. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This fanciful, animated feature from French artist and director Michel Ocelot is based on a popular folk tale from West Africa. Kirikou (voice of Theo Sebeko) informs his mother from the womb that it's time for him to be born, but when she's too slow, he simply does the work himself. After learning that his parents' village is being threatened by a sorceress with a taste for human flesh, Kirikou leaps into action to save the day, encountering friends and foes along the way, including a monster who can drain waterfalls and lakes with his enormous thirst and a wise man living on a magic mountain. Kirikou and the Sorceress also features an original score by acclaimed Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fezele Mpeka
- 1987
This 92-minute feature is the fifth in a series of annual concerts given to raise money for Amnesty International. The London Palladium is the setting for performances by such musical luminaries as Joan Armatrading, Jackson Browne, Kate Bush, Duran Duran, Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed and others. The voice of the secret policeman is provided by Bob Hoskins, with comedy performances from Emo Philips and John Cleese. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hoskins, Joan Armatrading, (more)
Katherine (Jacqueline Bisset) is a photographer who lives in the exotic Greek islands with her sculptor husband Patrick (James Fox) in this comedy. The film lampoons tourists, contains beautiful scenery, and focuses on the relationship and eventual reconciliation of Katherine and Patrick. Side plots include a rebellious local involved in politics, an elderly Russian spy (Sebastian Shaw), and the search for an antique urn. Kenneth Branagh and Lesley Manville play British tourists and co-star with Irene Pappas, Robert Stephens, and Paris Tselios. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, James Fox, (more)
