Yeelen (La Lumière)

The young Nianankoro will receive the ancestral knowledge of the Bambara, enabling him to master the forces around him. But his father does not accept him as an equal. Nianankoro must flee his wrath and embark on a journey of initiation to gain his new powers, before the inevitable confrontation with his father...

Directed and written by: Souleymane Cissé (Mali/Burkina Faso/France/Germany, 1987)
Cast: Issiaka Kane (Nianankoro), Aoua Sangaré (Attou), Niamanto Sanogo (Soma), Soumba Traoré (Mâh), Balla Moussa Keïta (Rouma Boll), Ismaïla Sarr (Bofing)
Genre: drama
Awards: Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival (France, 1987)