OUAGADOUGOU: Tunisian director Youssef Chebbi won the coveted Stallion of Yennenga award Saturday at the biennial pan-African Fespaco film festival for his murder mystery oeuvre “Ashkal,” although he was not on hand to collect the award in person. 

Tunis-born Chebbi, whose film centres on the investigation into the killing of a caretaker on a construction site at Carthage on the outskirts of his hometown, did not attend the ceremony in Burkina Faso, presided over by military leader Ibrahim Traore.

Chebbi won out over Burkinabe rival Apolline Traore, who picked up a consolation Silver Stallion award for “Sira”, while the bronze went to Kenya's Angela Wamai for “Shimoni.”

The Stallion of Yennenga (Etalon d'or de Yennenga) is awarded for the fictional or documentary feature film judged best to depict African realities.