Commendation of the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes 2004 (Un certain regard)

Moolaadé takes a stand against an extreme Islamic position which uses religion abusively to submit young girls to female circumcision. The village women themselves impose a change. In a film which fully uses local colour and detail of African life, Ousmane Sembène combines the traditional with the modern to make the village a film set for his didactic tale.