The Golden Ball

1994 1h 30m FR

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 46

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Golden Ball is a wonderful children's film that tells of a young boy's dream of being a soccer player. Whenever a match is broadcast live in the village of Makono, Bandian and his brother keep their ears to the transistor radio, spinning a picture of the game from the announcer's commentary much as they fantasize themselves on the field. A gift of a real soccer ball, which Bandian paints gold, like a magical object involves him in a series of adventures which bring him in reach of his dream, but which also require him to make difficult choices.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Aboubacar Sidiki Sumah
Bandian
Aboubacar Kolta
Bouba
Agnès Soral
Isabella
Habib Hammoud
Bechir
Mody Sory Barry
Radio Kankan
Salif Keita
Karim
Mariam Kaba
Fanta
Keita Alama
Old Moussa (Bandian's Father)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cheik Doukouré
Writers: David Carayan, Martin Brossollet, Cheik Doukouré
Languages: French
Countries: France, Guinea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Guinea.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cheik Doukouré, shot by Alain Choquart. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michèle Robert-Lauliac shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Aboubacar Sidiki Sumah and Aboubacar Kolta and Agnès Soral carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0109201 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 46 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cheik Doukouré directs. Alain Choquart behind the camera. Michèle Robert-Lauliac cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Guinea. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Guinea.
4Directed by Cheik Doukouré, shot by Alain Choquart. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Michèle Robert-Lauliac shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Aboubacar Sidiki Sumah and Aboubacar Kolta and Agnès Soral carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0109201 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 46 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.