‘Close-up: Souleymane Cissé’

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Souleymane Cissé, the internationally renowned Malian filmmaker. His poetic and engaged work made a lasting impact on world cinema. In 2023, he was awarded the Carrosse d'Or at Cannes in recognition of his films and African cinema. In 1987, he became the first African filmmaker to receive the Prix du Jury at Cannes for his film Yeelen. The Close-Up event, conceived and imagined by BOZAR in collaboration with CINEMATEK, will go ahead as a tribute to his work and legacy. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.

Born in Bamako in 1940, Souleymane Cissé became interested in cinema at the age of 7. After studying in Dakar and Moscow, he returned to Mali in the 1970s and worked as a cameraman/reporter. In 1975, he directed Den Muso (The Young Girl), his first Malian feature film, which landed him in prison. This was followed by Baara (Work) (1977), Finyè (The Wind) (1981) and Yeelen (Brightness) (1987), which won the Jury Prize at Cannes. His last film, Waati (Time) (1995), was also selected for Cannes. Cissé has also produced a number of recent works, including Un Malien à Paris (A Malian in Paris (1999). As a politically conscious director, he is the founder of UCECAO (Union of West African Film and Audiovisual Creators and Entrepreneurs) and was appointed Commander of the National Order of Mali in 2006.