Niger and USA / 2017 / 87mins / Acid Western, Drama / Tamashek

Zerzura was shot in the Sahara Desert. Mixing folktales and documentary, the film follows a young man from Niger who leaves home in search of an enchanted oasis. His journey leads him into a surreal vision of the Sahara, crossing paths with djinn, bandits, gold seekers, and migrants. A folktale transposed onto an acid western, the film is a collaborative fiction, written and developed with a Tuareg cast, and shot in and around Agadez, Niger.

Christopher Kirkley

Christopher Kirkley is a music collector and archivist focused on the Sahel of West Africa. His work examines contemporary popular music in the evolving technological landscape, the interplay of localized traditions with global influences, and new modes of cultural transmission. He releases records under the label Sahel Sounds and maintains a blog exploring arts and music of the region. His film Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai has received the Prix du Jury at F.A.M.E in Paris. His work has been featured in BBC, The Guardian, Pitchfork, NPR, Le Monde, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, The Wire Magazine, and ARTE. He’s also been a guest lecturer at NYU-Paris, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Lift13, and Notre Dame. Learn More