Abderrahmane Sissako was presenting his Oscar-nominated film Timbuktu at the Asia Society in Hong Kong and we were delighted to have the exclusive opportunity to interview him. He gave us a master class about filmmaking and we learned a lot from his professional experience.

Timbuktu was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. In the film, Sissako highlighted the horror in humanity - extremists committing cruel crimes regularly but deep down, they are still human beings and can have nice traits such as caring for the health of a hostage.

Sissako believes that there are often some captivating stories behind the people who are less talked about. In his film, the less privileged are portrayed as very courageous characters. Lastly, he shared with us his plans for the next movie - a love story set in China.

Special thanks to Abderrahmane Sissako and Le Pacte, and to our partners who made this possible:
• Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau
• Asia Society Hong Kong Center