Filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako is no stranger to the stages of the world’s most renowned film festivals and award shows. He is also no stranger to the UVa grounds. Last April, Sissako, who was raised in Mali and moved to France in the early 1990’s, made this third visit to Grounds for a series of events and screenings presented by UVa’s Department of French and the Office of the Provost and the Vice Provost for the Arts, along with the Paramount Theater and the Virginia Film Festival. Known for films with themes surrounding globalization, exile, and the displacement of people, Sissako presented a special screening of his Oscar- nominated film Timbuktu to a packed house at The Paramount Theater, followed by a discussion featuring the filmmaker. His residency also included visits to Alison Levine’s graduate film seminar, Kandioura Drame's undergraduate course on African cinema, and a dinner with faculty and alumnae of the UVa French and film programs. Other highlights included a public Master Class that featured a discussion of his acclaimed film La vie sur terre (Life on Earth), and a film walk hosted by Alison Levine, Associate Professor and Director of the undergraduate program in the French department. The film walk allowed students to delve into the visual aspects of filmmaking with one of the world’s true masters. 

In the news: 
Cavalier Daily | April 16, 2015
UVA Today | March 11, 2015
Alison J. Murray Levine | April 17, 2015