TILAÏ IDRISSA OUEDRAOGO (THE LAW)

Set in a pre-colonial African past, Tilai (winner of the Grand Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival, 1990) is about an illicit love affair and its consequences. Saga returns to his village after an extended absence to discover that his father has taken Nogma, Saga’s promised bride, for himself. Still in love with each other, the two begin an affair, although it would be considered incestuous. In Burkina Faso, the concept of honour is essential in the structure of traditional societies, and it rules over any notion of family and blood. ‘Ya tilai’, that is the law. The film delicately portrays the complexities of traditional law and customs in a West African village, though it ultimately speaks to a universal humanity through its unconventional love story.