Film
Festival in the Desert: The Tent Sessions | A Love Apart
D: Steven Lawrence, Babak Rassi | Bettina Haasen
Festival in the Desert: The Tent Sessions
Music Documentary, D: Steven Lawrence, Babak Rassi, USA/Mali 2004, 42 min, French/English with English subtitles
The “Festival in the Desert“ outside Timbuktu on the fringes of the Sahara was originally conceived to offer Tuaregs a meeting place after years of political unrest in Mali. Since then, it has turned into a prestigious event that attracts global music stars. The highlights in 2003 included big names such as Ali Farka Touré and Robert Plant, as well as Haira Arby, Afel Bocoum, Bocar Madjo and Tartit. This documentary captures the sights and sounds of this festival, complete with camel races and sand dunes.
A film by "World Music Films on tour"
IMZ - International Music + Media Centre
A Love Apart
Documentary, D: Bettina Haasen, Germany 2004, 52 min, Tamashek with German subtitles
In the Aïr mountain range in northern Niger, which rises up out of the Ténéré Desert, the 17-year-old Rhaissa is getting ready for her wedding. Accodring to traditional Tuareg marriage rules, she must remain silent and stay in her tent during the week before her wedding night. But first, she spends a few days with her best friend, talking about her dreams and fears, her future and the man whom Rhaissa’s parents have chosen for her: the “Love Apart”. The film won an award at the World Mountain Documentary Festival.
