Made in response to the 2012 jihadist occupation of Timbuktu by Ansar Dine, Abderrahmane Sissako's drama competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2014 and became the first film by a Black African-born director to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
Fun fact: The film swept seven Cesar Awards in France in 2015, including Best Director, in addition to its Oscar nomination.