The passing of Osange Silou-Kieffer, an "encyclopedia of Caribbean and African cinema"

The passing of Osange Silou-Kieffer, an "encyclopedia of Caribbean and African cinema"

A grande dame of Caribbean and African cinema, journalist, sociologist and art historian, Osange Silou-Kieffer, born in Guadeloupe, died Wednesday, 1 April, in Paris. She was 73 years old.

She quickly established herself as a reference in Creole and African cinemas. She knew all the filmmakers and actors. A trailblazer, she provided visibility to the cinemas of these regions. In the mid-1980s she created Images Caraïbes, the first film festival in Martinique. When Yasmina Ho-You-Fat, founder of the Cinamazonia festival in Guyana,asked her to become president, she immediately replied yes. "All this within a family spirit...” recalls Yasmina Ho-You-Fat.

She produced the 26-minutes documentary Cannes 96 : cinémas d'Afrique" (1996) and published the book Le cinéma dans les Antilles françaises, Ed. OCIC: 1991. She was also a member of the Pan-African Federation of Filmmakers. 

She will be greatly missed.

Adapted in English from la1ere.francetvinfo.fr . Louis Otvas / Outre-mer la 1er. 1 April 2020 

Image: FestivalcinemasdafriqueLausanne