After leaving university, Konaté worked as a member of the crew on Souleymane Cissé's 1985 classic film Yeelen.[1] In 1989 she wrote the screenplay for the short animated film La Geste de Ségou, directed by fellow Malian Mambaye Coulibaly.[2] Her first credited solo work is listed as the documentary Des Yeux Pour Pleurer (Crying Eyes), shot on video in 1992.[3] Konaté followed this with a second documentary, also shot on video, Circulation Routiere (Traffic), co-directed with Kabide Djedje.[3] In 1993 she produced three short films, the most notable of which was L'Enfant terrible (The Terrible Child), co-produced with the Belgian workshop Graphoui.[2] L'Enfant terrible, which is based upon a Central African myth, is, like La Geste de Ségou, an animated story that used puppets.[4] It follows a benevolent spirit, a child which is born with teeth and the ability to talk and walk, who finds its older brother and begins an unusual journey.[4] It remains her most highly acclaimed work.[2]