The Young Girl

A young mute girl is sexually assaulted and becomes pregnant, which has devastating consequences for her family. In this melodrama, Cissé portrays the youth of Mali in the 1970s, while also exposing urbanisation, social inequality and the silence imposed on women by patriarchal oppression. Initially banned, the film remained off-limits in the country for three years and Cissé was imprisoned for accepting French funding for the production. The Young Girl, restored in 2020 by the filmmaker in collaboration with the Cinémathèque française, was the first feature film by Souleymane Cissé, who died this year. His filmography, forged in resistance to censorship and political authoritarianism, remains a landmark in the history of African cinema.