Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, a pioneer of African cinema with a career spanning 50 years, has died at age 84.
His daughter, Mariam Cissé, confirmed his death at the 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 gained international recognition in 1987 when his film Yeelen (The Light) won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, making him the first film-maker from sub-Saharan Africa to win an award at the prestigious festival.
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 the Pan-African Film Festival, Fespaco, held annually in Burkina Faso.
At the time of his death, he had been due to travel to Burkina Faso to preside over the jury at the festival, which opens on Saturday.
Tributes have been pouring in for Cissé for 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.”
Africanews/Shakirat Sadiq
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