Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, a pioneer of African cinema, dies at age 84

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, a pioneer of African cinema with a profession spanning 50 years, has died at age 84, Malian tv introduced Wednesday.

The reason for Cissé’s loss of life was not introduced. The Malian authorities mentioned Cissé “had simply held a press convention to current two trophies as a prelude to the twenty ninth version of Fespaco, the Pan-African Movie and Tv Competition of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), which can open this subsequent weekend within the capital of Burkina Faso.”

Cissé was the primary Black African filmmaker to win a characteristic movie prize on the Cannes Movie Competition in France. He received the jury prize in 1987 for “Yeelen,” or “The Light,” and in 2023, he received the Carrosse d’or for “Finye,” or “The Wind.”

Cissé additionally twice received the Étalon d’or de Yennenga, the Grand Prize of the Ouagadougou Pan-African Movie and Tv Competition.

Born in Bamako, Mali, Cissé studied in Mali, Senegal and Moscow. He was President of the Union of Creators and Entrepreneurs of Cinema and Audiovisuals of West Africa.

Tributes poured in for Cisse, whose trailblazing work on the silver display screen throughout greater than half a century was marked by a dedication to African storytelling, deep humanism and political engagement.

“Papa died today in Bamako. We are all in shock. He dedicated all his life to his country, to cinema and to art,” Mariam Cisse mentioned.