The Crazies/Fatow/Les Fous
LENGTH: 91 mins
DIRECTOR: Fousseny Maiga
RATING: N/A
Synopsis
“Culture is by essence the alpha and omega of all development….. For a society culture is as vital as the heart to the human body. The director’s goal is to use cinema as a tool for preserving Malian cultural heritage, placing it at the core of community resilience” – director
Fatow follows the story of 4 so-called ‘madmen’, each one standing for a critical issue of environment and culture: desert, forest, mountains (representing the people), water. Each issue is debated using well-known Malian social advocates. In Mali, ‘madmen’ are seen as those who speak truths uncompromisingly, and are prepared to say what others are too scared to say. In addition, they naturally elicit a sympathetic and tolerant response from others in Malian society, so their words may be better absorbed by the general public. In the film, the clothing they wear symbolises environmental pollution caused by plastic, a serious global issue.
