African Film Archive

Yeelen (Brightness)

1987 — Souleymane Cisse — Mali

feature · drama, fantasy · flourishing

Set among the Bambara people in 13th century Mali, Yeelen follows a sorcerer's son fleeing his jealous shaman father, and became the first Black African film to win a prize at Cannes when it took the 1987 Jury Prize.

Fun fact: Cisse was also nominated for the Palme d'Or the same year, making Yeelen a rare African film in competition for cinema's top prize in the 1980s.

Notes: Corrected 2026-07-29: Cannes's own materials describe Yeelen as the first Black African film to compete/win a prize there, a narrower and more accurate claim than "first African film," since North African cinema had reached Cannes earlier.

Verification: verified · Sources: [1] [2] [3]

Poster source: Wikipedia