Souleymane Cissé: The Idealistic Cinephile
“To make a film belongs to the realm of miracle,” he has explained.”I have to do everything. I am in turn producer, cameraman, and technician. I lend a hand in every area.” Despite these constraints, Cissé’s productions are lauded for their technical sophistication.
His feature films, which portray the conflicts between modernity and tradition through the stories of people who have moved from the rural countryside to urban centers, have proven extraordinarily popular in both Africa and France. Baara and Finyé have been two of the most commercially successful African movies to be seen on both continents.
In addition to working on his own films, Cissé has been an active member of the Federation Panfricaine des Cinéastes (FEPACI). He has been leading the effort to increase African film distribution and help new African filmmakers overcome the technical and economic obstacles to their work.
Souleymane Cissé is currently the president of UCECAO, the Union of Creators and Entrepreneurs of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts of Western Africa.
His most recent works include:
Waati (1995)
Tell Me Who You Are (2009)
Filmography:
L’homme et ses idoles (short film, 1975)
L’aspirant (short film, 1968)
Source d’inspiration (short film, 1968)
Dégal à Dialloubé (1970)
Fête du Sanké (1971)
Cinq jours d’une vie (1972)
Den muso (1975)
Baara (1978)
Chanteurs traditionnels des Iles Seychelles (1978)
Finye (1982)
Yeelen (1987)
Waati (1995)
Tell Me Who You Are (2009)
