Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
A woman in a West African village shelters girls seeking protection from a traditional cutting ceremony.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
In a West African village, Collé Ardo Gallo Sy invokes moolaadé, a sacred protection, for four girls fleeing ritual cutting. The cord across her doorway forces family, elders, women, and the village's cutters to confront competing authority.
Why it belongs
Moolaadé transforms one household's protection into a vivid communal debate through color, radio, ritual, humor, and a remarkable female ensemble.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
The protective cord, village square, mosque, radios, water, clothing, and public ceremonies make authority visible and contested; Fatoumata Coulibaly's composed Collé anchors the argument in practiced courage rather than abstract advocacy.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness8.9
Engagement8.8
Ease8.4
Bambara · Not Rated Narrative Feature Mood: Absorbing & Reflective
