Lecture

On Diasporic Form: Focusing on the Films of Abderrahmane Sissako
Date 5.17.(Sat) 16:30
Venue Ae Kwan Theater 1
Lecturer YOO Un-Seong (Film Critic)

When we think of “diasporic cinema,” we often imagine works that explore diasporic identity through characters and situations. Abderrahmane Sissako, a master of 21st-century African cinema, has long grappled with the question of alternative cinematic forms¤Ñforms that capture the lives of those adrift, unable to find a place to settle, and the landscapes that surround them.
This lecture will examine the notion of “diasporic form” through a close reading of Bamako, the film that brought Sissako international recognition. It will also explore how his work connects with broader movements in the history of cinema from sub-Saharan Africa.

Film
Bamako

Director Abderrahmane SISSAKO
Info France, Mali | 2006 | 118min | ¨ò | Fiction

In a small village in Mali, Mélé and Shaka are a couple on the brink of divorce. As their divorce trial unfolds, African society faces a crisis caused by the IMF.

YOO Un-Seong
YOO Un-Seong

Film Critic. He is the co-publisher of the visual media journal Okulo and a program advisor at VOSTOK PRESS. His published works include A Ghost and the Guards (2018), But The Night Will Be Short (2021), Botanic Temptation (2023), and Contamination (2025).