The purpose of the African Women in Cinema Blog is to provide a space to discuss diverse topics relating to African women in cinema--filmmakers, actors, producers, and all film professionals. The blog is a public forum of the Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema.
Le Blog sur les femmes africaines dans le cinéma est un espace pour l'échange d'informations concernant les réalisatrices, comédiennes, productrices, critiques et toutes professionnelles dans ce domaine. Ceci sert de forum public du Centre pour l'étude et la recherche des femmes africaines dans le cinémas.
Director/Directrice, Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema | Centre pour l'étude et la recherche des femmes africaines dans le cinéma
Storytelling and West African Cinema, a panel of established women filmmakers from the Sahel (African Film Festival and the Metropolitian Museum of Art)
Storytelling and West African Cinema, a panel of established women filmmakers from the Sahel as they discuss the power of films to capture the essence of the region and its narrative tradition. Participants include Mahen Bonetti, Founder and Executive Director, African Film Festival, Inc.; Yaëlle Biro, Associate Curator, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Met; Rahmatou Keïta, filmmaker; Fanta Régina Nacro, filmmaker; and Fanta Kouyaté, griot, oral historian, and storyteller.
20 February 2020 at 18h30
Venue:
The Met
1000 Fifth Avenue (Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium entrance at Fifth Avenue and 83rd Street)
New York, NY 10028 United States
Synopsis
A barber school haircut training video on how to give a white person an "Afro" hair-do.
The final film in Owusu’s hair trilogy, White Afro (2019), employs an archival instructional video produced by the educational department of the Barbers, Beauticians, and Allied Industries Association on how to offer curly perms or body waving services to their white clientele, ostensibly for financial gain. The training video is intermingled with Owusu’s mother’s experience working as a hairstylist at a predominantly white hair salon called Fantastic Sam's in Alexandria, Virginia. Offering a rare perspective on the Afro hairstyle—as an unmistakable marker of Black collective power that becomes a desirable, and appropriated, aesthetic during liberation movements—the film also expands on the abilities of non-Black beauticians and barbers to wield their shops as spaces for political change. -- CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts
‘‘Même pas mal’’ de Nadia El Fani : Le retour d’une guerrière. Fawz Ben Ali. 13 Nov 2017. Kapitalis.
Cheryl Dunye
The Watermelon Woman (Feat. Cheryl Dunye of Queen Sugar). 10 October 2017. Theextraordinarynegros.
VIDEO – EXTRAITS – CLIPS
Angela Aquereburu
YoBo Studios on her dramedy Hospitalite about a doctor and a traditional healer. YouTube.
Claire Diao, Rahmatou Keïta, Aïcha Macky
La chronique cinéma avec Claire Diao d"Awotele : Le Niger à l'honneur avec les films " Zin'naariya !" de Rahmatou Keïta ou "L'arbre sans fruit" d'Aicha Macky à l'occasion du festival Afrikamera 2017. YouTube.
Watch Films by Womxn Directors, Girls in Film in Mauritius, RECIDAK 2018 - La remise de distinctions | Presentation of Awards, Visions de femmes, Queen of Zambian TV Becky Ngom, Joburg Film Festival Women’s Event
African Female Filmmakers, Rungano Nyoni, June Givanni, Le Grand Débat: Un autre visage du cinema français : Claire Diao, Aset Malanda, Nina Melo, Josza Anjembe, Jihan El-Tahri,
African Film and Media -Three Women Making Films in Zimbabwe -Nollywood and Women, Stephanie Dongmo, Rwandan Women in Film, A Conversation with Tala Hadid, Afrique Plurielle TV5Monde : Alimata Salambéré, Dada Stella Kitoga, Monique Mbeka Phoba, In My Father’s Village by Tapiwa Kapuya
Stéphanie Dongmo, Nadja Harek, Oshosheni Hiveluah, Fatou Kandé Senghor, Laureates: Mashariki Film Festival Awards 2017 (Rwanda), Laureates: Zambia Film and Television Awards (ZAFTAs) 2017
Véro Tshanda Beya, Félicité (Alain Gomis) analyse, Issa Rae, Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante, Khady Sylla in Memoriam, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Rumbi Katedza, The Republic – a pilot series by Nicole Amarteifio
Tiyaa, a beautiful young woman from an aristocratic family, returns after a study in Paris to her place of birth, the Sultanate of Zinder in Niger. Her girlfriends and aunts soon notice that a shadow of sorrow hangs over her. She had to leave her lover behind in Paris and she is at a loose end back home. During a consultation with a zimma, a wise old man, she is advised to wait for the new moon to perform a love ritual.
Until that time, she roams the community having conversations with women of all ages, who offer her an insight into their love life and sensuality, taboos and culturally-defined codes, with a dash of mysticism.
Tiyaa est récemment de retour chez elle, dans le Sultanat de Zinder, après avoir fini ses études. La jeune femme essaie de surmonter le souvenir d’une histoire d’amour douloureuse. La promesse mystique d’un prince charmant souffle vers sa direction.
Tiyaa, a beautiful young woman from an aristocratic family, returns after a study in Paris to her place of birth, the Sultanate of Zinder in Niger. Her girlfriends and aunts soon notice that a shadow of sorrow hangs over her. She had to leave her lover behind in Paris and she is at a loose end back home. During a consultation with a zimma, a wise old man, she is advised to wait for the new moon to perform a love ritual.
Until that time, she roams the community having conversations with women of all ages, who offer her an insight into their love life and sensuality, taboos and culturally-defined codes, with a dash of mysticism.
Tiyaa est récemment de retour chez elle, dans le Sultanat de Zinder, après avoir fini ses études. La jeune femme essaie de surmonter le souvenir d’une histoire d’amour douloureuse. La promesse mystique d’un prince charmant souffle vers sa direction.
Rahmatou Keïta : ‘The future of cinema is in Africa” | « L’avenir du cinéma est en Afrique »
Source: KADIDIA.COM. Published | publié 21 05 2016. Translated from French by Beti Ellerson.
Image: KADIDIA.COM
[English] Français ci-après
Cinéaste Rahmatou Keita from Niger, author of a rich internationally acclaimed filmography, attended the Cannes Film Festival to promote her new film "Zin'naariyâ! "(Golden Alliance), which tells the love story of a man and a woman in the heart of Niger's desert.
KADIDIA.COM: Tell us about the preparation of your new film Zìn'naariyâ! ?
Rahmatou Keita: I would first like to specify that it is a film that is one hundred per cent African. I united Africa around this film. It is an African Union film. It was funded entirely by African countries, including Algeria, Niger, Congo-Brazzaville, Rwanda, Morocco and Uganda. It took eight years to find funding, one month for the shooting—as the budget was limited, and a year to do the editing and all the postproduction. It is important to note also that whatever the political orientations of the leaders of these countries that have agreed to finance the film, they are first and foremost advocates for Africa, who are sensitive to those things that are disappearing on the continent.
How did you succeed in convincing these countries to finance your project?
I was able to convince them by highlighting the importance of the image. I emphasised that the advancement of our cultures also involves the image. I am proud that all these countries contributed to making this film happen. Moreover, the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers, which brings together all of the diverse associations of African filmmakers and the Diaspora, is creating, with the African Union, an African film fund, in order to provide financing for projects. I think it will go into effect in two or three years.
Can you tell us more about the love story that takes place in your film?
It's a love story that takes place in the Sahel, in the Niger Sultanate of Damagarau built in the 11th century. The film is set in a beautiful location, with very beautiful architecture, as Niger is also characterised by ancient cities. I relate a Fulani love story in a Hausa State from a Sonrhay perspective. These are people from a very discreet culture. So I tell this story with great modesty. It's a love story with all of these cultural codes. Through this film, I also relate things that are in the process of disappearing in African cultures because the West is a steamroller that imposes its way of life on the world. In reality, behind this film, there is the desire to preserve the cultures and lifestyles of these men and women. If all this dies, the world also dies because it has been inspired a great deal by African cultures.
Could you explain…?
The West wants to standardise the world, shape it in its own way. If the West destroys African cultures, it will die also because it will have nothing to feed itself. Take computer language, it was drawn from the pygmies’ method of a binary numeral system. But today pygmies are disappearing due to the deforestation that is destroying their way of life.
Why is it important to participate in preserving the cultures of Africa?
I think there is something to be done for all of these endangered cultures. As for me, I am playing a role in my own survival because it is these cultures that have nurtured me and it is with them that I can nourish my children. My films are my testimony to the world. What good will it do to imitate other cinemas when we have so much to tell about Africa? The future of cinema is in Africa. The future is in Africa. Everyone goes to Africa and Africans themselves are fleeing Africa. There is something amiss. It is through cinema that Africans must show what they are. It's always someone else who shows who they are; it does not make sense. Africans have survived despite the tragedies, invasions and a great deal of climatic damage. Peoples have disappeared for less than that. Africans have spirituality, strength and energy that have enabled them to overcome many misfortunes. It is up to them to reveal who they really are.
[Français]
La cinéaste nigérienne Rahmatou Keïta, auteur d’une riche filmographie saluée, à l’international, est actuellement au Festival de Cannes pour la promotion son nouveau film « Zin’naariyâ ! » (Alliance d’or), qui raconte l’histoire d’amour d’un homme et d’une femme au cœur du désert nigérien. Contactée par téléphone, elle revient sur la genèse de son nouveau long métrage de 90 minutes.
Même si le Festival de Cannes est loin d’être de tout repos, d’autant qu’elle doit faire la promotion de son nouveau long métrage, trouver des distributeurs et des vendeurs, Rahmatou Keïta ne semble jamais fatiguée. Au contraire. Elle parait en pleine forme. Ses conversations sont d’ailleurs souvent entrecoupées d’éclats de rire. Au bout du fil, de sa voix qui chantonne et porte, elle peut vous parler pendant des heures de sa passion pour le cinéma. Mais ce qui intéresse avant tout cette ancienne journaliste de France 2, France Inter, France 5, primée plusieurs fois pour son travail, c’est de raconter des histoires dont personne ne parle, notamment sur le continent africain. Au fil du temps, elle laisse de côté peu à peu le journalisme. Non pas qu’elle boude sa profession, mais tout simplement parce que la passion du cinéma finit par la rattraper. Comme si les pièces du puzzle s’étaient assemblées naturellement pour cette auteure de nombreux longs reportages et documentaires. « Je dis toujours que mon métier c’est le journalisme et le cinéma ma passion », aime-t-elle dire. Aujourd’hui, elle n’a pas moins de huit films à son actif : Djassaree, 1997 : Femmes d’Afrique, Le Nerf de la douleur, Une journée à l’école Gustave-Doré, Les États généraux de la psychanalyse, Al’lèèssi… une actrice africaine, JIN’NAARIYA! et le désormais Zìn’naariyâ! qu’elle compte bien défendre de toutes ses forces. LIRE l’article en intégralité sur http://www.kadidia.com/rahmatou-keita-lavenir-du-cinema-est-en-afrique
Fespaco 2015 – Short film in competition | court métrage en compétition
Jìn'naariyâ! | L'alliance | The Golden Ring
Rahmatou Keïta (Niger)
The filmmaker | La réalisatrice
[English]
A woman of the Sahel, Rahmatou Keïta of Niger is Fulani, Songhai and Mandinka descendant, of the oldest dynasty of the Sahel, that of the Emperor Sundiata Keïta. She likes to say that it is the essence of the Sahel. After her studies in philosophy and linguistics in Paris, she envisioned herself as researcher, scholar, but fate decided otherwise. Before arriving in cinema, she garnered a standing as host, commentator and reporter for television. First woman journalist from “the visible minority” to appear on the screens of French television, she is also the first to receive a 7 d’or with the France 2 team for the news magazine L'Assiette Anglaise.
Her filmmaking career began in 1993 when she decided to follow her passion: scriptwriting and cinema. After directing short films and "Femmes d’Afrique", (Women of Africa) a series of 26 episodes of 26 minutes each, she then created, along with friends, Sonrhay Empire Productions, the objective of which is "to produce films outside the box." Her first feature film, Al'lèèssi…an African actress, catapulted her into prominence in the world of African cinema. The film was awarded Best Documentary in Montreal and at FIFAI (International Film Festival of Africa and the islands), the Audience Award in Geneva: the African Achievement Award, and the Sojourner Truth Award at Cannes—in the official selection in 2005. Cultural activist, Rahmatou Keïta was a founding member of the l’Association panafricaine de culture, ASPAC (Pan African Association of Culture). She was at the head of the formation of the anti-EPA group, which on 11 January 2008 brought together thousands of demonstrators in Brussels to protest against the new economic partnership agreements between Europe and Africa.
[Français]
Sahélienne, Rahmatou Keïta est née au Niger. Elle est peulh, Sonrhay et mandingue. Descendante de la plus ancienne dynastie du Sahel, celle de l’empereur Soundjata Keïta. Elle aime à dire qu’elle est l’essence même du Sahel. Apres des études de philo et de linguistique à Paris, la nigérienne se voyait chercheur, universitaire, mais le destin en décidera autrement. Avant d’arriver au cinéma, elle se fait connaître comme présentateur d’émissions, chroniqueur et reporter à la télévision.
Première femme journaliste, issue de la minorité visible à paraître sur les écrans de télévision français, elle est également la première à recevoir un 7 d’or, avec l’équipe du magazine d’information de France 2 : l’Assiette Anglaise.
Sa carrière de réalisatrice commence en 1993, quand elle décide de passer à ses passions : l’écriture et le cinéma. Auteur de courts-métrages et de "Femmes d’Afrique", une série de 26 émissions de 26 minutes, elle crée, avec des amies, Sonrhay Empire Productions, « pour produire des films hors des sentiers battus ».
Elle devient une des femmes les plus en vue du cinéma africain, avec son premier long-métrage, "Al’lèèssi... une actrice africaine". Plusieurs fois primé : meilleur documentaire à Montréal et au FIFAI (Festival international du film d'Afrique et des îles), prix du public à Genève, African Achievement Award… l’auteur - réalisateur a été la lauréate du Sojourner Truth Award, au festival de Cannes, lors de la sélection officielle de son film, en 2005.
Militante engagée pour l’Afrique, Rahmatou Keïta a été membre fondatrice de l’Association panafricaine de culture (ASPAC) Elle a été au premier chef dans la constitution du collectif anti-APE qui, le 11 Janvier 2008 a réuni des milliers de manifestants à Bruxelles pour protester contre les nouveaux accords de partenariat économique entre l’Europe et l’Afrique.
Synopsis
[English]
In an aristocratic family, a young girl longs for the marriage her lover promised her.
There, where the stories of love are settled among women, she decides to go see the family marabout who tells her that marriage is "in the hands of God", though a certain ritual could assist these hands to materialize…A comedy drama where chance has something to say in the matter…
Rahmatou Keïta takes us through the maze of a mysterious and little-known Sahel: stylized sets and light floating Songhai veils, to our greatest delight. Here, no violence, no humiliation nor conflict. "This is the Sahel I know, far from the news and fantasies of all sorts, just the daily lives of families. And in this fable, one of the main preoccupations of girls throughout the world: love!”
Jìn'naariyâ! is a short film – carried out solely by its actresses — a prelude to the feature film which Rahmatou Keïta is preparing, following an 8-year search for funding: Algeria, Morocco and the Republic of Congo are all co-producers. "I dream of an African Union surrounding my work. I am proud to have been able to bring together three culturally rich countries for the production of my film. Following the exposure of the film at the Short Film Corner of the last Cannes festival, my country, Niger is also contributing. There are only a few things left for Sonrhay Empire Productions to do to complete the process and hopefully it will be done this year, so that I may begin shooting. I am delighted to show Jìn'naariyâ! because even more than the scenario, the images provide the character, the atmosphere and the life of the film, and hence, provides a better idea to the institutions and other cultural partners who would like to give support, but who do not know this part of the world and therefore may find it difficult to enter into our imagination." (Adapted from the translated version of Nigerdiaspora published 01 May on the African Women in Cinema Blog).
[Français]
Dans une famille aristocratique, une jeune fille se languit de son amoureux qui tarde à venir l'épouser.
Là-bas, les histoires d'amour se réglant entre femmes, Elle décide d'aller consulter la marabout de la famille. Cette dernière lui apprend que le mariage est "dans la main de Dieu" et qu'un rituel à accomplir pourrait aider à ce que cette main se manifeste...Une comédie dramatique, où le hasard a son mot à dire...
Rahmatou Keïta nous emmène dans les dédales d'un Sahel mystérieux et méconnu: décors stylisé et légèreté des vaporeux voiles sonrhay, pour notre plus grand enchantement. Ici, ni violence, ni humiliation, ni même conflit. "C'est le Sahel que je connais, loin de l'actualité et des fantasmes de tous ordres ; le quotidien des familles tout simplement et, dans cette fable, une des préoccupations principales des jeunes filles, partout dans le monde : l'amour !"
Jìn'naariyâ ! est un court métrage - porté que par des actrices – prélude au long-métrage que Rahmatou Keïta nous prépare depuis au moins 8 ans, cherchant les fonds nécessaires à sa production: l'Algérie, le Maroc et la République du Congo étant déjà coproducteurs. "Je rêve d'une Union Africaine autour de mon oeuvre. Je suis fière d'avoir pu réunir des pays, de grande culture, à la production de mon film. Suite à l'exposition du film, au Short Film Corner du dernier festival de Cannes, mon pays, le Niger, apporte également sa contribution, il ne reste plus grand chose à Sonrhay Empire Productions pour boucler le tour de table et j'espère que ce sera fait dans l'année, afin que je passe enfin à sa réalisation. Je suis ravie de pouvoir montrer Jìn'naariyâ ! car, mieux que le scénario, l'image pose l'ambiance, l'atmosphère et l'univers du film et donne ainsi une meilleure idée aux institutions et autres partenaires de la culture qui auraient envie de s'engager, mais qui ne connaissent pas cette partie du monde et donc ont du mal à rentrer dans notre imaginaire..."(Nigerdisaspora.info)
Fidèle à elle-même, à contre-courant, hors des sentiers battus et autres clichés, la cinéaste nigérienne nous offre "Jìn'naariyâ!" (l'Alliance), un très esthétique court-métrage, beau et raffiné, en mode Sahel éternel : dans une famille aristocratique, une jeune fille se languit de son amoureux qui tarde à venir l'épouser.
Là-bas, les histoires d'amour se réglant entre femmes, Elle décide d'aller consulter la marabout de la famille. Cette dernière lui apprend que le mariage est "dans la main de Dieu" et qu'un rituel à accomplir pourrait aider à ce que cette main se manifeste...
Une comédie dramatique, où le hasard a son mot à dire et où, comme dans les tragédies grecques, les dieux se jouent des humains, selon leur bon vouloir.
Rahmatou Keïta nous emmène dans les dédales d'un Sahel mystérieux et méconnu: décors stylisé et légèreté des vaporeux voiles sonrhay, pour notre plus grand enchantement. Ici, ni violence, ni humiliation, ni même conflit. "C'est le Sahel que je connais, loin de l'actualité et des fantasmes de tous ordres ; le quotidien des familles tout simplement et, dans cette fable, une des préoccupations principales des jeunes filles, partout dans le monde : l'amour !"
"Jìn'naariyâ !" est un court métrage - porté que par des actrices – que nous prépare la talentueuse sahélienne, depuis au moins 8 ans, cherchant les fonds nécessaires à sa production: l'Algérie, le Maroc et la République du Congo étant déjà coproducteurs. "Je rêve d'une Union Africaine autour de mon oeuvre. Je suis fière d'avoir pu réunir 3 pays, de grande culture, à la production de mon film. Mon pays, le Niger, m'a promis de boucler le tour de table, j'espère que ce sera fait dans les semaines qui viennent, afin que je passe enfin à sa réalisation et je suis ravie de pouvoir montrer "Jìn'naariyâ !" car, mieux que le scénario, l'image pose l'ambiance, l'atmosphère et l'univers du film".
"Jìn'naariyâ !" est actuellement accessible aux chanceux professionnels du prestigieux festival de Cannes : le film de Rahmatou Keïta y est retenu au Short Film Corner, un lieu de rencontre entre professionnels du court, indispensable rendez-vous, organisé chaque année par le Festival de Cannes, pour que producteurs, réalisateurs et distributeurs présentent leur film, y concrétisent des rencontres qui peuvent engager des actions déterminantes pour leur carrière future.
[English]
True to herself, against the current, off the beaten path and other clichés, the filmmaker from Niger presents Jìn'naariyâ! (The Wedding Ring), a very artistic short film, beautiful and elegant, in the Sahelian mode. In an aristocratic family, a young girl longs for the marriage her lover promised her.
There, where the stories of love are settled among women, she decides to go see the family marabout who tells her that marriage is "in the hands of God". Though a certain ritual could assist these hands to materialize. A comedy drama where chance has something to say in the matter, and where, as in Greek tragedies, the gods play humans any time they wish.
Rahmatou Keïta takes us through the maze of a mysterious and little-known Sahel: stylized sets and light floating Sonrhay veils, to our greatest delight. Here, no violence, no humiliation nor conflict. "This is the Sahel I know, far from the news and fantasies of all sorts, just the daily lives of families. And in this fable, one of the main preoccupations of girls throughout the world: love!”
Jìn'naariyâ! is a short film – carried out solely by its actresses — which the talented Sahelian presents following an 8-year search for funding: Algeria, Morocco and the Republic of Congo are all co-producers. "I dream of an African Union surrounding my work. I am proud to have been able to bring together three culturally rich countries for the production of my film. My country, Niger has promised funding to finish it and I hope that it will be done in the coming weeks…I am delighted to show Jìn'naariyâ! because even more than the scenario, the images provide the character, the atmosphere and the life of the film."
Jìn'naariyâ! is currently presented to the privileged professionals of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival at the Short Film Corner, a meeting place for professionals of the Short, the essential rendezvous. Organized annually by the Festival, for producers, directors and distributors to present their films, secure appointments and take decisive steps for their future careers.
The first generation of African cinema has passed the torch to a second and third generation of filmmakers. A cinema born in the 1950s and 60s, known for its postcolonial themes, directly confronted the oppressive nature and contradictions of colonialism. Among this second and third generation are women who have drawn important lessons from their elders. Some of these women take the torch from their mothers, fathers and uncles, others have relit or are keeping the torch burning to shine light on the accomplishments of those who have come before them.
Anne-Laure Folly Reimannof Togo pays homage to the life and works of the matriarch of African cinema, Sarah Maldoror (1929-2020). French-Guadeloupian of African descent, she has had a long presence in filmmaking in Africa. Having studied cinema in the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, after a short stay in Morocco in 1963, she went to Algeria to work as Gillo Pontecorvo’s assistant for the production of the classic film, The Battle of Algiers. Her debut film Monangambee, was selected at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival under the Quinzaine des réalisateurs/Directors' Fortnight representing Angola. In 1972 she made Sambizanga, considered her masterpiece; a film about a woman's experience during the Angolan liberation struggle. In her documentary, Sarah Maldoror ou la nostalgie de l'utopie, Folly Reimann pays tribute to Maldoror, having followed the path that she forged. Some twenty-five years after the release of the film Sambizanga, she too highlights women's experiences of war in Angola, in the film Les Oubliées (1996). Daughters Annouchka de Andrade and Henda Ducados have opened Sarah's archives for research and study with the aim of making their mother’s work visible to an international public. Annouchka, herself a film activist and organizer, keeps Sarah’s legacy alive through interviews, speeches and conferences dedicated to her mother. Also see the African Women in Cinema Blog post that features their reflections on their mother during a tribute to her.
Gyasiwa Ansah of Ghana follows in the footsteps of her father, veteran filmmaker Kwaw Ansah. She grew up in cinema often present on her father's film shoots. As she grew older she began to take on duties on the set and finally decided to go to film school. She continues to work with her father at his television production company, TV Africa.
French-Congolese Claude Haffner, takes the torch from her late father, Pierre Haffner, an important French voice in African cinema criticism. Her 2001 DEA (Master's) thesis, Le documentaire africain, un remède éventuel aux maux dont souffre le cinéma africain? loosely translates as "The African Documentary as Possible Remedy to the Ills of African Cinema." In addition, she has taken on the role of filmmaker. Her documentary, D'une fleur double et de quatre mille d'autres (2005), a tribute to her father,is situated at the intersection of her double passion--criticism and filmmaking--focusing on many of the issues that he confronted in his work on African cinema. Her autobiographical documentary, Footprints of my Other 2012), is about her place “in between”, Africa and Europe, as she searches for her Congolese roots.
Rahmatou Keïtaof Niger rekindles the flame of a once fledgling film industry. The vibrant works of the prolific filmmakers of Niger beginning in the mid-1960s are a mere footnote in African cinema history. Weaving the story of pioneer actress Zalika Souley, Keïta relates a parallel story, the history of the early cinema of Niger. Her purpose for making the filmAl’leessi...An African Actress(2004), was to celebrate the elders of Niger cinema and elevate them to their rightful place as cinematic pioneers.
Mati Diop, born within an artistic milieu--her mother is a photographer, her father is musician Wasis Diop, and her late uncle, Djibril Diop Mambety (1945-1998), a giant of African Cinema--works quite naturally within the domain of sound and image. Her evolution into cinema was a result of her interest in the image rather than a direct influence of her uncle, Djibril; though she gradually understood that his legacy is an important force in her work. Her film1000 Soleils/1000 Suns(one may recall La petite vendeuse de Soleil/The Little Girl who Sold the Sun, Mambety's last film released posthumously in 1999), is dedicated to him--tracing the incredible journey of the cult film, Touki Bouki, his masterpiece. The film made in 1973, nine years before Mati's birth, is a means to better understand her uncle. In her view, the film is fundamentally about him, in a very profound way. When making her first film Last Night, she was not yet aware of the cinematic inheritance of Djibril. She has recently embraced this bond which has increasingly imposed itself as she has become more confident in her work. But for Mati this inheritance only becomes important when she has her own work to show for it.
Ghanaian filmmaker Anita Afonu, passionate about the preservation of Ghana's cinematic history, meticulously researched the evolution of Ghanaian cinema, documenting it in the film Perished Diamonds.
Sara Gubara journeyed into cinema through her father’s footsteps and as a team they directed more than 40 films. The pioneer of Sudanese cinema, Gadalla Gubara created his own company, Gad Studios, after managing the mobile cinema of the Sudanese Ministry of Information. Through his indefatigable efforts, single handedly he forged a Sudanese cinema infrastructure, producing some 300 documentaries. However, in 1998, Gadalla’s sudden blindness thrust Sara into the forefront. At her father’s side, she became his eyes: “On the film, I work as his eyes. Sometimes we argue about some things but still, we cooperate well together.”
Malika Franklin co-directed and co-edited Woman to Woman (2013) with her mother, Véronique N. Doumbé.
Alice Diop received the 70th Jean Vigo Award, for Saint Omer. A French film prize presented since 1951. In 1966, the award was presented to her illustrious Senegalese ancestor, Ousmane Sembene, for the pioneering film, La Noire de..., also relating an unsettling story of an African woman living in France, as the main protagonist. She takes the torch moving forward. Thus, accepting the torch passed on from the generation before, means that one must assume the task of continuing the work forged by the elders.
