Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai
Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it
directed by Christopher Kirkley, in collaboration with Mdou Moctar and Jerome Fino

SYNOPSIS
Akounak tells the universal story of a musician trying to make it “against all odds,”
set against the backdrop of the raucous subculture of Tuareg guitar. The protagonist,
real life musician Mdou Moctar, must battle fierce competition from jealous
musicians, overcome family conflicts, endure the trials of love, and overcome his
biggest rival – himself. Stylistically borrowing from the Western rock-u-drama and a
homage to Prince’s 1984 “Purple Rain,” the story was written with and for a Tuareg
audience, drawing from experiences of Mdou Moctar and fellow musicians. Carried
by stunning musical performances from Mdou, the film is equally a window into
modern day Tuareg guitar in the city of Agadez as it is an experiment in modern
ethnographic film-making and new techniques of cross cultural collaboration.