Thomas Sankara the Upright Man

Shuffield Robin, France, 2006
Synopsis

The upright man is Thomas Sankara, President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. He came to power at the age of 34 in the uniform of an army captain, with a holster at his hip and a Marxist book in his hand. Tom Sank or Comrade Sankara decided to seriously clean up the country. He wants to put an end to the French government's post-colonial plans for "Françafrique"; he opposes the traditional chiefs who are confiscating the land and the laxity of disillusioned civil servants .… Haute Volta becomes Burkina Faso, The land of upright men. With his direct speech coloured by ironic humour, his dash and his altruism, Captain Sankara would try to get the entire population to support his revolutionary ideas. But his attitudes also made him a growing number of enemies and, little by little, he found himself increasingly isolated and was finally assassinated under circumstances that are not yet clear. Through film records, testimony of family, friends, employees and contemporary African statesmen, this film draws a portrait of the African Che.

Docs for Sale information
Available versions: color, video,
Spoken languages: English, French
Subtitling: -
Sales remarks: -
Updates
There are no updates yet.
Rithy Panh to present Top 10 at IDFA Cambodian director Rithy Panh (1964, Phnom Penh) is to compile this year’s IDFA Top 10. Rithy Panh broke through in 2003 with his documentary S21, The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine. His new film, The Missing Image, won the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes film festival last week.
IDFA WorldView Summer School announces 2013 selection May 2, 2013 | A total of 16 projects from participants all over the world have been selected for the sixth edition of the IDFA WorldView Summer School, which will take place July 1-6, 2013. The projects hail from 14 different countries and range from archive-driven narratives to stories shot in a cinema vérité style.
IDFA 2013 Film Entry now open! March 5, 2013 | Submissions for IDFA 2013 can now be entered. Deadlines are May 1 (for documentaries completed before April 1) and August 1 (for documentaries completed after April 1).
SNS Reaal Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds