The River Where We Live
- Director:
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- Sylvain L'Espérance
- Producer:
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- Sylvain L'Espérance
- Writer:
-
- Sylvain L'Espérance
- Cinematographer:
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- Sylvain L'Espérance
- Editor:
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- Rene Roberge
- Sound:
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- Esther Auger
- Francine Poirier
- Distributor / Sales:
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- Louis Dussault / K films Amérique
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- Country:Canada
- Year:2006
- Length:92 min
- Data rate:7.5 MB/min
- Description
- The Niger River crosses a vast plain in the heart of Mali. Guided by the charismatic pilot of the Timbuktu steamer as he makes a final run up river before the dry season, we meet artisans, fishermen, nomadic cattle herders and merchants who live along the river in harmony with the seasons and the ebb and flow of the river. While they continue to practice age-old traditions, they are also faced with the effects of a 30-year drought and encroaching desertification. As the vegetation disappears, areas where lions, hyenas, hippos and crocodiles were plentiful are now deserted, there is little grass for grazing cattle and fish are becoming scarce. Sylvain L'Esperance marries the flow and aesthetics of the film to the movement of the river and its peoples, weaving a rich tapestry of the people of the delta. As in his stunning earlier film The Invisible Hand, one experiences a different sense of time and an exquisitely beautiful, quietly respectful and impeccably crafted portrait of African people living peacefully with each other. In Bambara and Peul with English subtitles - Official Selection, 2007 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
- Extras
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- Educational Package (PDF, 1489KB)