Mali/Culture: The film world mourns the death of filmmaker Souleymane Cissé
The Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, a pioneer of African cinema with a career spanning 50 years, passed away at the age of 84, announced Malian television on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. The cause of Souleymane Cissé’s death has not been disclosed.
The Malian government stated that Mr. Cissé “had just held a press conference to present two trophies ahead of the 29th edition of FESPACO, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, which will open next weekend in the capital of Burkina Faso”. According to reports, Cissé was the first Black African filmmaker to win an award for a feature film at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
He won the Jury Prize in 1987 for Yeelen (“The Light”) and, in 2023, the Golden Stallion for Finye (“The Wind”). He also won the prestigious Etalon d’Or de Yennenga, the top prize at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, twice. Born in Bamako, Mali, Cissé studied in Mali, Senegal, and Moscow. He was president of the Union of Creators and Entrepreneurs of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts in West Africa.
Tributes have poured in for Mr. Cissé, whose innovative work on the big screen for over half a century was marked by a commitment to African storytelling, deep humanism, and political engagement. “Papa passed away today in Bamako. We are all in shock. He devoted his entire life to his country, to cinema, and to art,” said Mariam Cissé.
