Latest news with #Yeelen
Al-Ahram Weekly
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Souleymane Cissé, father of African cinema, dead at 84 - Screens - Arts & Culture
Malian director Souleymane Cissé, one of the fathers of African cinema, died on Wednesday in a Bamako clinic aged 84, his daughter told AFP. "Papa died today in Bamako. We are all in shock. He dedicated all his life to his country, to cinema and to art", Mariam Cissé said. Cissé won the jury's prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival for "Yeelen" ("Brightness"), which draws on legends from west Africa's Bambara people and was the first African film to win an award at Cannes. In 2023 Cannes honoured him again with the Carrosse d'Or, an award given to directors who have "marked the history of cinema with their boldness, their exacting standards and their intransigence in staging". He is one of two only filmmakers to have twice won the grand prize at Burkina Faso's Panafrican Film and Television Festival (FESPACO), among the largest and most prestigious in Africa. He was due to travel to Burkina Faso capital's Ouagadougou to head the 29th edition of the festival's features jury from February 22. In an interview with AFP in 2011, Cissé urged the new generation of African filmmakers to seek independence from European funding. "Today young people have a miserabilist approach to film, of beggars who must plead every time for financing from Europe," he said. Short link:
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Souleymane Cissé, African Cinema Pioneer, Dies at 84
Malian director Souleymane Cissé, the African cinema pioneer who over five decades gained prominence for works infused with deep humanism and political engagement, died on Wednesday. He was 84. News of Cissé's death was announced by his daughter, Mariam Cissé. 'Papa died today in Bamako. We are all in shock. He dedicated all his life to his country, to cinema and to art,' she said in a statement. The cause of his death has not been specified. Cissé, who was born in the Malian capital of Bamako and studied film in Moscow, became the first Black African filmmaker to win a prize for a feature film at Cannes in 1987 for 'Yeelen' ('The Light'), his drama drawn from Kenyan folk stories about the conflict between a father and son over magic powers. In 2014 his 'Timbuktu,' a cri de coeur against fundamentalist violence and intolerance, screened in the Cannes competition to rave reviews and won seven César awards in France, including best director and best film. In 2023, Cissé also won the Cannes Directors' Fortnight Carrosse d'Or award for 'Finye' ('The Wind'), a campus protest movie in which the students are living under a military dictatorship and contending with a patriarchal society deeply rooted in ancestral superstitions. Cissé is one of only two directors to have twice won the grand prize at Burkina Faso's preeminent Panafrican Film and Television Festival (FESPACO). He was due to fly to Burkina Faso capital's Ouagadougou on Thursday to preside over the 29th edition of the festival's main jury. News of Cissé's death elicited an outpour of tributes. Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffe lamented the loss 'of this monument of African cinema' in a statement. New York's Film at Lincoln Center praised him as 'one of cinema's greats', citing 'Yeelen' for 'catapulting African film to the world stage.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
New York Times
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Souleymane Cissé, Celebrated Malian Filmmaker, Dies at 84
Souleymane Cissé, an award-winning writer and director who became the first Black African filmmaker to win the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, died on Wednesday in Bamako, Mali. He was 84. His death was confirmed by François Margolin, a French film producer and a close friend of Mr. Cissé's for the last three decades. Mr. Cissé had just appeared at a news conference on Wednesday morning to present two prizes ahead of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, known as Fespaco, where he had been set to head the jury. After the news conference — where he was 'talking and joking' — Mr. Cissé went to take a nap and didn't wake up, Mr. Margolin said. Mr. Cissé was catapulted to worldwide fame with the release in 1987 of 'Yeelen' ('Light' in his native Bambara). The film won the jury prize at Cannes and was nominated as the best foreign film in the 1989 Spirit Awards. The director Martin Scorsese called the film 'one of the great revelatory experiences of my moviegoing life.' Mr. Cissé had been energetic until the end of his life, Mr. Margolin said, working and traveling around the world. 'He was never an old man,' said Mr. Margolin, who said he last saw his friend about six months ago. Mr. Cissé directed his first feature-length movie, 'Den Muso,' ('The Young Girl') in 1975. The movie, in Bambara, is about a mute girl who becomes pregnant after being raped and is subsequently shunned by her family. Mr. Cissé 'pulled no punches with his debut feature,' the Museum of Modern Art said in 2022, when it hosted a viewing of the film as part of its annual International Festival of Film Preservation. The Malian authorities censored the film, and Mr. Cissé was briefly imprisoned on what MoMA described as 'trumped-up charges.' But it was 'Yeelen,' Mr. Cissé's fourth feature, that cemented his position as a top filmmaker. The movie is about a young man with magical powers who travels to his uncle with the request to fight his sorcerer father. It 'recreates the pre-modern world of the Bambara culture, where the only hint of the industrial age is the presence of a blacksmith,' The Times wrote in 1987. Mr. Scorsese has said the film helped inspire him to start the World Cinema Project, a nonprofit that restores neglected films around the world. 'Souleymane's work has had a deep and lasting effect on me,' Mr. Scorsese wrote in 2023. Souleymane Cissé was born on April 21, 1940, in Bamako, Mali's capital. He spent his high school years in Dakar, Senegal, before going to the Russian State University of Cinematography in Moscow on a scholarship, according to the Cannes Film Festival. Mr. Cissé's survivors include his daughters Fatou, a filmmaker who worked closely with her father, and Mariam. Mr. Cissé's most recent credit was the 2015 film 'O Ka' ('Our House'), his fifth to debut at Cannes. The movie tells the story of how police officers forcibly removed Mr. Cissé's four sisters from their childhood home in 2008. In 2023, Cannes honored Mr. Cissé again, this time with the Carrosse d'Or — the Golden Coach Award — a prize given by the Society of French Directors. Mr. Cissé became the second African filmmaker to win that prize after Ousmane Sembène, a Senegalese director, who won the prize at the 2005 festival. 'If the profession recognizes the films you have made,' Mr. Cissé told a French radio broadcaster in 2023. 'I think it's an exceptional reward.' In that interview, he also expressed optimism for the future of African filmmaking, saying that he did not think it would take 15 more years for another director from the continent to win the Golden Coach Award. He also emphasized the importance of African filmmaking. 'Africa cannot be transported to France or Europe or the United States,' he said. 'Africa is transported through images.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pioneering African film-maker Souleymane Cissé dies aged 84
Malian film director Souleymane Cissé, one of the pioneers of African cinema, has died aged 84. His daughter, Mariam Cissé, confirmed his death at clinic in the capital Bamako, expressing shock and mourning "the loss of a man who dedicated his life to film and art". The cause of his death has not been announced. Cissé first gained international recognition in 1987 when his film Yeelen (The Light) won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first black African film-maker to win the prize. His trailblazing career spanned more than 50 years, winning many accolades along the way. In 2023, Cissé was honoured by Cannes with a Carrosse d'Or award, usually given to directors who have "marked the history of cinema with their boldness, their exacting standards and their intransigence in staging". Cissé was also a double winner of the grand prize at Burkina Faso's Pan-African Film Festival, Fespaco. At the time of his death he had been due to travel to the Burkinabè capital to preside over the jury at the festival which opens this weekend. Tributes have been pouring in for the man, praising his dedication to African storytelling. Mali's Culture Minister Mamou Daffé lamented the loss "of this monument of African cinema", while fellow Malian director Boubacar Sidibé said the country's film industry was in "mourning". Film lovers have praised Cissé's works for their complexity, political engagement and deep humanity. His first feature film, Den Muso (The Young Girl) shot in 1975, was in the local Bambara language, and is considered an African classic. The film is about a young girl who is raped, becomes pregnant and is rejected by her family. The film was banned by the Malian authorities, and Cissé was jailed for having accepted French funding. He wrote the screenplay for his second film, Baara (Work), while in prison. He made other films including Finyè (The Wind) in 1981, and Yeelen (The Light), which won the Jury Prize in Cannes in 1987. His last film in 1995 was Waati (Time). Cissé was born in the Malian capital Bamako, and spent part of his childhood in neighbouring Senegal. Later, he studied film in Russia's capital Moscow, becoming one of the first generation of African film-makers. Cissé went on to champion government support for and investment in the film industry. He was the founding president of the union representing West Africa's entrepreneurs in cinema and audiovisual arts. Cissé was often outspoken about other barriers to the spread of African cinema - criticising "censorship" and "contempt", and urging young film-makers not to act like "beggars who must plead every time for financing from Europe" but instead seek greater independence. Hours before his death, he reportedly urged Mali's military government to help the country's industry catch up with its continental rivals. "It is not enough to make cinema, the works must also be visible," the AFP news agency quoted Cissé as saying. "May the authorities help us with the construction of cinemas." Additional reporting by Natasha Booty Idris Elba: Why I'm planning a move to Africa Ground-breaking Somali TV drama shatters taboos The battle for high-octane drama - African style Watch: Oscars 2024: The documentaries shining a light on African stories Podcast: Nollywood - Nigeria's billion dollar film industry Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pioneering African filmmaker Souleymane Cissé dies aged 84
Malian film director Souleymane Cissé, one of the pioneers of African cinema, has died aged 84. His daughter, Mariam Cissé, confirmed his death at clinic in the capital Bamako, expressing shock and mourning "the loss of a man who dedicated his life to film and art". The cause of his death has not been announced. Cissé first gained international recognition in 1987 when his film Yeelen (The Light) won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first black African filmmaker to win the prize. His trailblazing career spanned more than 50 years, winning many accolades along the way. In 2023, Cissé was honoured by Cannes with a Carrosse d'Or award, usually given to directors who have "marked the history of cinema with their boldness, their exacting standards and their intransigence in staging". Cissé was also a double winner of the grand prize at Burkina Faso's Pan-African Film Festival, Fespaco. At the time of his death he had been due to travel to the Burkinabè capital to preside over the jury at the festival which opens this weekend. Tributes have been pouring in for the man, praising his dedication to African storytelling. Mali's Culture Minister Mamou Daffé lamented the loss "of this monument of African cinema", while fellow Malian director Boubacar Sidibé said the country's film industry was in "mourning". Film lovers have praised Cissé's works for their complexity, political engagement and deep humanity. His first feature film, Den Muso (The Young Girl) shot in 1975, was in the local Bambara language, and is considered an African classic. The film is about a young girl who is raped, becomes pregnant and is rejected by her family. The film was banned by the Malian authorities, and Cissé was jailed for having accepted French funding. He wrote the screenplay for his second film, Baara (Work), while in prison. He made other films including Finyè (The Wind) in 1981, and Yeelen (The Light), which won the Jury Prize in Cannes in 1987. His last film in 1995 was Waati (Time). Cissé was born in the Malian capital Bamako, and spent part of his childhood in neighbouring Senegal. Later, he studied film in Russia's capital Moscow, becoming one of the first generation of African filmmakers. Cissé went on to champion government support for and investment in the film industry. He was the founding president of the union representing West Africa's entrepreneurs in cinema and audiovisual arts. Cissé was often outspoken about other barriers to the spread of African cinema - criticising "censorship" and "contempt", and urging young filmmakers not to act like "beggars who must plead every time for financing from Europe" but instead seek greater independence. Hours before his death, he reportedly urged Mali's military government to help the country's industry catch up with its continental rivals. "It is not enough to make cinema, the works must also be visible," the AFP news agency quoted Cissé as saying. "May the authorities help us with the construction of cinemas." Additional reporting by Natasha Booty Idris Elba: Why I'm planning a move to Africa Ground-breaking Somali TV drama shatters taboos The battle for high-octane drama - African style Watch: Oscars 2024: The documentaries shining a light on African stories Podcast: Nollywood - Nigeria's billion dollar film industry Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
