BAMAKO, Mali (AP) 鈥� Malian filmmaker Souleymane Ciss茅, a pioneer of African cinema with a career spanning 50 years, has died at age 84, Malian television announced Wednesday.
The cause of Ciss茅's death was not announced. The Malian government said Ciss茅 鈥渉ad just held a press conference to present two trophies as a prelude to the 29th edition of Fespaco, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), which will open this next weekend in the capital of Burkina Faso."
Ciss茅 was the first Black African filmmaker to win a feature film prize at the Cannes Film Festival in France. He won the jury prize in 1987 for 鈥淵eelen,鈥� or 鈥淭he Light,鈥� and in 2023, he won the Carrosse d鈥檕r for 鈥淔inye,鈥� or 鈥淭he Wind.鈥�
Ciss茅 also twice won the 脡talon d鈥檕r de Yennenga, the Grand Prize of the Ouagadougou Pan-African Film and Television Festival.
Born in Bamako, Mali, Ciss茅 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 screen across more than half a century was marked by a commitment to African storytelling, deep humanism and political engagement.
鈥淧apa died today in Bamako. We are all in shock. He dedicated all his life to his country, to cinema and to art,鈥� Mariam Cisse said.
Baba Ahmed, The Associated Press
