''Ouaga-Saga'' is a 2004

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

-based filmmaker

Dani Kouyaté Dani Kouyaté (born June 4, 1961) is a film director and griot, ''jeli'' (griot) from Burkina Faso, which the BBC describes as "Africa's most important film-making country". Biography Kouyaté was born in 1961 in Bobo-Dioulasso. He is the son of ...

. This film was one of the two or three a year that the Burkina Faso government produces. Its plot revolves around ten children striving to reach their goal in life.

Cast

*Amidou Bonsa ... Bourémiah *Sébastien Belém ... Bouba *Aguibou Sanou ... Moussa *Tom Ouedraogo ... Kadou *José Sorgho ... Cyrille *Yacouba Dembélé ... Le Shérif *Gérôme Kaboré ... Pelé *Delphine Ouattara ... Mama *Yasminh Sidibé ... Faustine *Patricia M'Baidélé ... Awa

Plot

Each one of the ten children has a goal, although their poverty is in the way of them realising their dreams. In order to make some money, if dishonestly, they steal a bicycle from a wealthy woman and sell it. They divide the money amongst themselves at their compound where they live with Bourémah, an older friend. Shortly thereafter, a neighbour becomes suspicious of the friends and begins to eavesdrop. The children, discovering this, malign him so horribly that he notifies the police. Bourémah realises that the police will find the stolen money if they search the compound, so he places it in a bag and leaves. His friends thinks he is stealing this from them instead of trying to help. Meanwhile, Bourémah leaves for another town and stakes out in a hotel. He decides to play the lottery with what money he has left. Winning the jackpot, he comes back to Ouaga to help his friends fulfil their goals.

Production

This film was one of the two to three a year that the Burkina Faso government produces. It cost an estimated

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

1.2 million.

, the director, had five weeks to film this, though it took longer to complete.

Release

''Ouaga'' premiered at the

Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (, or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It accepts for competition only films by African filmmakers and chief ...

in 2005. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' praised it, calling it "the perfect medicine in today's hectic life" due to its offering "the viewer many light hearted moments."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0439746, Ouaga-Saga French comedy films Burkinabe comedy films 2000s French-language films 2004 films 2004 comedy films 2000s French films