Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako presented his film on the conflict in northern Mali to the official selection of the 67th Cannes Film Festival, which was screened on Thursday.

Accompanied by the cast of "Timbuktu", Sissako presented a press conference on the screening day. Talking about how his film came about, the Mauritanian film director broke into tears.

"The trigger was the stoning of a couple, in a small village in Mali. Not only because this happened but also because no-one spoke about it," said Sissako, lamenting that the world is becoming "indifferent to horror".

"Timbuktu" tells the story of Kidane, his wife Fatima, their daughters Toya and Issan, their little shepherd boy, who live in the shadow of conflicts inflicted by "men from other places", and their silent struggle for a better future.

After "October" (1993), "Waiting for Happiness" (2002) and "Bamako" (2006), Sissako in this fourth feature film opted for a fictional handling of the thorny issue in northern Mali.

Born in Mauritania, Sissako spent most of his childhood in Mali before moving to Europe, according to the official daily of the film festival.