I originally wanted to do documentaries, and my first film was a documentary. I had to make fiction so that my ideas would get out. Sissoko belongs to the Mandingo culture, which encompasses Bambara, Dogon and other cultures. Finzan was made about Bambara culture, and in the Bambara language, the dominant language of Mali. A pre-sale to an Italian educational firm also helped.
Most actors are nonprofessionals, with a few members of the national theater company.
It was edited in Burkina Faso by an African technical crew. Sissoko had to submit the film both in script form and in final form to Malian government censorship, but encountered no serious difficulties. Female circumcision has different modes and degrees in different African cultures, and the custom has also been practiced in middle Eastern, Asian and Mediterranean cultures. Although it is associated with Islamic practice, in fact it is not mentioned in the Koran and some Islamic cultures do not practice it. Some animists practice it, including the Dogon of Mali and Nigeria, according to Hilary Bonta in a student paper at American University.