Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako has won the top prize in Africa's biggest movie festival on Saturday with his film Heremakono (Waiting for Happiness).
Sissako received the Stallion of Yennenga award and prizes valued at about £7,000.
"I am so proud as an African film-maker to win this great distinction," said Sissako, who trained in Moscow and whose previous films have been widely acclaimed.
Sissako's film tells the story of a young Malian adrift in neighbouring Mauritania, hoping to leave for Europe.
Dubbed "Africa's Cannes", the 18th pan-African Film and Television Festival - better known as Fespaco - concluded this weekend.
The festival had featured screenings of more than 100 films over a period of eight days.
For African filmmakers, the festival offers the hope that their movies might attract enough attention to earn screen-time in cinemas outside Africa.
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