The Blind Couple from Mali

Local title
Amadou ja Mariam: pime paar Malist
Director
Ryan Marley
Country
Year
2026
Festival
21st Tartuff
Programme
Subject

Beloved superstars from Mali. Final album, last concert, and nostalgic memories.

Released in 2008, the Afrobeat track “Sabali” (“Patience”) propelled the inseparable Malian duo Amadou & Mariam to international fame. Since then, their music has featured on the soundtracks of "The Twilight Saga", "Ava", and many other popular films.

The pair met in 1975 at Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind. Guitar virtuoso Amadou Bagayoko and the heavenly voiced singer Mariam Doumbia went on to sing about love, compassion, and dignity. Behind their stylish sunglasses and colourful outfits, few realised that both artists were blind.

This lively, playful, and uplifting musical documentary captures their final major concert in Mali and the recording of their last album, featuring guest appearances by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Manu Chao. Cheerful, healing, and radiant, the film is sure to melt your heart, just as it has already won over audiences in Copenhagen, Sydney, Lisbon, Biarritz, Cleveland, and Berlin.

Director
Ryan Marley
Screenwriter
Ryan Marley, Sonia Godding-Togobo, Katie Lafferty
Cast
Amadou Bagayoko, Mariam Doumbia
Producer
Katie Lafferty
Cinematographer
Paul Duck
Editing
Joe Krumins, Peter Strauss, Eugene Weis
Composer
Gil Talmi, Cassiel McEvoy
Production
Makers
World sales
Mediawan Rights
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Screenings

Screening030215 / Amadou ja Mariam: pime paar Malist
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer