Colle Gallo Ardo Sy, a circumcised woman, has managed to help her only daughter escape from the ritual of ‘purification’ organised every seven years. Now that the next ritual is about to happen, four young girls have fled from the village to escape from excision. Moolaadé is a moving, embracing and life-affirming film with the power to change long-held attitudes, a film regarded as Sembène’s masterpiece, made when he was already 81 years old.
“The best film at Cannes 2004, a story vibrating with urgency and life. It makes a powerful statement and at the same time contains humor, charm and astonishing visual beauty … it will stay in my memory and inform my ideas long after other films have vaporized.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times