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Les maîtres fous (The Mad Masters) (1955)

Depicting the annual Hauka religious ceremonies of the Upper Niger region and produced at the request of priests in authority, Rouch’s compact but staggeringly influential film has been alternately denounced for perpetuating “savage” imagery, and lauded for its ethnographic rigor and implied critique of colonialism.

Digital video from 16mm, color, 28 min.