''Genesis'' (french: La genèse) is a 1999 French-

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Cheick Oumar Sissoko Cheick Oumar Sissoko (born 1945 in San, Mali) is a Malian film director and politician. Biography As a student in Paris, Cheick Oumar Sissoko obtained a DEA in African History and Sociology and a diploma in History and Cinema from the Ecole ...

. It covers chapters 23 to 37 of the biblical

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning" ...

, with only African actors. It was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the

1999 Cannes Film Festival The 52nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 12 to 23 May 1999. Canadian filmmaker, actor and author David Cronenberg was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the French– Belgian film ''Rosetta'' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The festi ...

Plot

There are three stories. First, there is Esau's hatred of his younger brother Jacob for taking his birthright. There is also the abduction and rape of their sister Dina by a Canaanite. The Canaanite falls in love with Dina and offers to make amends. Jacob demands that all the males in his tribe undergo

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. Top ...

, which they reluctantly agree to. However, while they are still recovering from the operation, they are set upon and slain to the last man. Finally, Jacob believes his favorite son, Joseph, to be dead, but later learns that he is alive in Egypt. Jacob and Esau settle their differences, and they all set out for Egypt.

Cast

Sotigui Kouyaté Sotigui Kouyaté (19 July 1936 – 17 April 2010) was one of the first Malian, Burkinabé actors. He was the father of film director Dani Kouyaté, of the storyteller Hassane Kassi Kouyaté and of the actor Mabô Kouyaté and was a member of th ...

as Jacob *

Salif Keita Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali. Biography Early life Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village o ...

as Esau *

Balla Moussa Keita Balla may refer to: Places *Balla village in Tangail, Bangladesh *Balla, County Mayo, a small town in Ireland * Balla (Pieria), an ancient city in Macedonia *Balla village in Karnataka, India * Balla-Bassène, a settlement in Senegal * Balla-Dj ...

as Hamor *

Fatoumata Diawara Fatoumata Diawara ( bm, ߝߊ߫ߕߎߡߕߊ ߖߊ߯ߥߙߊ߫, Fatumta Jawara, born 1982) is a Malian singer-songwriter currently living in France. Diawara began her career as an actress in theatre and in film, including ''Genesis'' (1999), '' Sia, T ...

as Dina * Maimouna Hélène Diarra as Lea

Reception

In her ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' review, Deborah Young described the film as "one of the more challenging viewing experiences at Cannes this year ... So dense and poetic is Jean-Louis Sagot-Durvauroux's screenplay and so relentlessly African the idiom that viewers, like Noah, often find themselves adrift in high water." She praised the cinematography, costuming and music. Stephen Holden of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called it a "confused allegorical meditation on the region's simmering tribal conflicts". The movie "doesn't really go anywhere, and its most powerful stories are told rather than dramatized." However, he too lauded the cinematography of the "majestically picturesque film". Kevin Hagopian, Senior Lecturer in Media Studies at Pennsylvania State University, dissented, calling it a "masterwork of the modern diasporic cinema movement".

References

External links

*
First page of "Adapting Genesis"
an article by Walter C. Metz in ''Literature/Film Quarterly'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Genesis 1999 films 1999 drama films Malian drama films French drama films Bambara-language films Films based on the Book of Genesis Films directed by Cheick Oumar Sissoko Films shot in Mali 1990s French films