[x_text]Alan Gilsenan’s Timbuktu, is a characteristically stylish and uncompromising drama, based on a screenplay by Paul Freaney. It features Eva Birthistle as a young Irishwoman, who, with the help of her precocious transvestite friend (Karl Geary), searches for her brother, (Liam O’Maonlai), a monk kidnapped by Algerian rebels in the North African Sahara.

The film acutely captures the culture clashes encountered by these strangers in a strange land with its unique rituals and superstitions. Their quest proves a life-altering experience that takes them on a parallel journey of self-discovery. Along the way, they also find themselves in life-threatening situations that are depicted through some scenes of startling violence. Gilsenan’s film pulsates with an edgy clear and present sense of danger that is heightened in PJ Dillon’s nervy, hand-held DV camerawork and Ray Harman’s ominous, atmospheric score.

Director: Alberto Gilsenan
Country: Ireland
Year: 2004
Running Time: 94 mins
Cert:
Starring: Ibrahim Ahmed, Abel Jafri, Tuulou Kiki[/x_text]