Ouédraogo's output has been criticised as being too focused on appealing to audiences in Africa and the West. Françoise Pfaff names Ouédraogo, amongst a group of African directors, as a storyteller who has a predilection for filming shots of atypical African rural scenes, such as "monotonous images of women pounding millet or corn". Pfaff's view is that Ouédraogo's work is too focused on non-African audiences and alienates African viewers. In defence, Sharon A. Russell argues that Ouédraogo must always consider the needs of a director who wishes to keep filming in Africa, and that funding for the next film is a priority and that he is a talented person making films under difficult circumstances.